You are right. Summer is supposed to be kinda bland, I think thats kinda the whole point of the movie. Tom doesnt get to know her before he "falls in love" and thats why he is never in love with summer, but with the idea of her that he createt in his head. She is the perfect canvas to project on.
Neither I or the people I watched the movie with did sympathize with Summer in the movie. I don't know the exact plot anymore, but as the creator of the essay stated, she was just bland and no one of us knew why she acted so hard on the protagonist. I guess you are right here, it's a depiction of something we've all been through, or at least should have: Having a relationship with a "dream-person" and realizing that they either don't fullfill the expectations or have flaws that ruin the experience. If I remember correctly, Summer was always honest to the protagonist in the first place. It was actually him causing his disappointment and frustration, due to overlooking parts of the relationship that were problematic.
That's why I hate love at first sight. At first sight, I seem sweet, precious and funny. And those are all things that are sometimes true about me. But it's by far not all. I've never dated guys who fell in love with me at first sight and I' inherently suspicious of that.
@@ArianaAlexis For sure! Good catch on Summer being off. I think this video essay explains maybenotserious' point with examples: th-cam.com/video/YI2i96G6Kwk/w-d-xo.html
I think the problem with Summer is that she was supposed to be wrong for Tom since the beginning. And we were supposed to feel that 'wrongness', if that makes sense. Her character seemed dull because we see her from Tom's point of view, who only admired her superficial qualities like you pointed out in this video. Tom never really knew her deep down, so we never get to know her depths. But the scene when she cried after watching that romantic movie with Tom, and towards the end when she explained to Tom how she met her fiance, showed that there was always a deeper part of her that Tom never knew. She presented herself as a cynic, saying she didn't really believe in love. But deep down she's a romantic at heart. I find that interesting :)
We also see tiny little scenes in between "his versions of how their love was" where she does say very deep things or stuff seeming out of character for the personality of her we are mainly shown. They are hidden because it's supposed to show Tom ignoring what he doesn't want to see. In her background we kind of get the impression that she's basically been given everything in her life because she's pretty and charismatic. She uses that in her adult life because she gets what she wants out of it. She's always been a "I do what I want and I get what I want person". Not like she's purposely malicious about it or an evil person. That's just the type of person she is and may not even realize, or even really care, how it effects the people in her life. She's not even really in your face about it and I appreciate it because I have friends like Summer. Just only think of themselves and not even realize what they are doing. What I really love about this movie is that it's all from Tom's perspective so when you go back and look at it the movie over again, it kind of makes you question if those moments even happened the way he remembers them. Is Summer really boring or is summer boring in Tom's brain and memories?
There was an instance where you can see just how skewed Tom's perceptions/memories were. Earlier in the movie, Tom was enumerating all the things he loved about Summer, including her heart-shaped scar. Later on after their breakup, he described the scar as cockroach like, lol! Same scar, different perspectives. Tom was biased as a storyteller.
I agree remember when summer told a story she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her.
Hate to burst your bubble - but Summer is a very realistic portrait of a romantic interest for many men in their twenties. She has exactly all the traits that make men fall in love - she's pretty, she's mysterious, she plays the game of seduction with the main character and they obviously have a good time together. That's more than enough for many many men (and many women, in fact, as well). No character traits, no noble values are needed. If you're in love with someone you want to make the relationship work, no matter how hopeless it is and how shallow are the basis for your infatuation. And that's Tom's story arc - he has to let go of that unrealistic youthful love based mostly on sexual attraction, mature and move to more realistic relationships based on deeper connection.
Heck, Summer does have character traits and deeper meaning, Tom just chooses to ignore it because he wants to see what he wants to see. He never actually wants her, he wants the idea of her.
Yeah I think the biggest issue is that she’s most likely a fully realised person, but Tom is our POV and he sees a shallow view of her. She clearly has other friends, another life, dreams, hopes, etc. Tom is just a frustrating character to see out of because the film imo is just not clear about it.
Allyson Wonderland ASMR What are you saying?? What else is beside idea of her? You wanted Tom to just want his physical body? Real objective self is not graspable by anybody.
Summer being a low-energy character isn't an issue in my mind, in fact, I see it as another layer of realism. I have met so many beautiful, cool people with boring personalities that others make allowances for because of their good looks and style. I've met many Summers in real life - she is the first one I have seen in a movie.
I've heard that good looking people aren't as interesting as average looking people. That they don't have to try as hard to be interesting. Everyone just wants to be around them.
@@maxwelljoseph2717 yeah, I have a high school friend who is very conventionally pretty so I have observed how often people treat people subtly differently.
@@maxwelljoseph2717 I can’t help but wonder how much of that conclusion was created by people who don’t really know said attractive person very well. It’s hard for anyone to not have a personality, but it’s easy for that personality to get buried by layers of personal superficiality as well as what people project onto you. It’s hard to be yourself when people expect you to not be a dork on the inside. I say this because I’m becoming friends with good-looking people and I still find them quite interesting if not a little dorky
The whole point is that Tom doesn't fall in love with summer. he falls in love with the idea of her. Summer is arguably extremely realistic, she is not keen with the idea of love due to experiences in her childhood and is like a person, summer isn't a bubbly person, she was cynical and actually not quirky like the woman tom saw in her. The issue is that tom doesn't see that, he is wearing rose colored glasses and tries to see a manic pixie dream girl in summer when she isn't like that, she's a person.
Falling in love itself is falling in love with idea. I guess this new generation is about two instruments fucking each other like they do on porn. We never fall in love with physical body or “the real person” there is an always layer of illusion of what Tom experienced and there will always be.
She actually is bubbly, quirky and she is keen on the idea of love. Tom was very perceptive and correct in his assessment. He saw through her fake cynicism as defense mechanisms. This was all proven at the end when she admitted that Tom was right about love at first sight. That is unless, you believe that Summer is just a blind like Tom, since she married a guy after a couple of months, based off a book.
@@dinocool6392 she was keen on it after Tom but Tom didn't respect her boundaries emotionally when she said she didn't want anything serious, he pushed that on her and that's honestly what probably drove her away in the first place. The entire movie is also through Tom's perspective, he talks about summer a lot but never about how she's feeling just what she provides to him and their superficial similarities. Tom grew up watching sad romance movies and probably picked up on the idea that a woman exists to make a man's life better and it isn't much more complex than that. Tom doesn't know what love is but by the end of the film he's figuring it out.
@@spookiedooks If Tom doesn't know what love is, then Summer telling him that he was right all along, means that she also does not know what love is. 'love at first sight' and 'just knowing' were her reasons, over a superficial book interest. Which is exactly what Tom is criticized for doing. Do you think that Summers marriage is doomed to fail, since she has adopted Toms belief in love at first sight?
500 Days of Summer is a spoof of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Of course Summer is personality-less and shallow - because the movie pokes fun at this tired old movie schematic of a quirky adorkable girl coming into a guys life and dragging him out of his shell. I think your reading of the movie is a bit to literal... It's not meant to be taken as an actual story, but a parody and cinematic critique.
but didn't she do research about the director? I think it all comes down to how he describes his movie... The one clue from the movie itself is that he doesn't call it a love-story... But that may just be because it ends in a breakup.
Yes, Tom wants her to be the manic pixie dream girl. At the same time, the movie is from Tom's perspective and Tom's memory and Tom's expectations. There are little scenes of Summer saying very deep stuff that seems out of character to us but it's really not. It's just Tom ignoring it to see what he wants to see. Is Summer really a flat one-dimensional character or did Tom want her to be a flat one-dimensional character? I'm more inclined to go with the latter. Summer is only a parody of the manic pixie dream girl inside of Tom's mind. Outside of it, she is a person with her own hopes and dreams and goals.
I agree. I find the last few statements she made in this video to be closer to the truth. I think Summer's "personality-less" persona was very intentional. To be honest, during the times that I've seen Zooey and Joseph in interviews together, their energy is almost the same as in 500 Days of Summer. I think if anything, Zooey was allowed to simply be herself. Naturally, she appears to be quite nonchalant and undemonstrative, which is partly why I find her to be so fascinating, especially in this film. Also, Tom does clearly enjoy other qualities about her, such as her sense of humor and her ability to be vulnerable towards him at times. I think if anything, Tom is what's wrong with the movie for selfishly, projecting his relationship ideals on someone who clearly stated that they were not interested "in being anyone's anything."
Oh! That is super interesting, especially when you consider the themes of the book, obsession with youth and good looks being one of them. The way Basil was obsessed with Dorian and painted his image mirrors Tom's relationship to Summer. (This story ended a lot nicer though lol)
@@ArianaAlexis i think instead of summer being boring and shallow. We as an audience had never really met the real summer because the movie was told in tom's perspective. But we see glimpses of her personality and problems throughout the movie, when she cried watching the graduate and shut Tom out afterwards. Tom did not realized that she was not okay at first. when they broke up after watching the movie he told his friend that they were fine everything was great and she said "lets break up, just like that". and when summer told tom that she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her. Ps i've watched 500 days of summer sooo many times tooo
Yeah she is boring but I’m m pretty sure that’s the point, they literally say it, and I never thought she was the worst part about the movie, Tom was. That’s what makes it great. Instead of thinking that she is boring we are left with the feeling that that’s not who she really is.
Well, someone didn't get the movie... Summer is no a 'manical pixie dream girl', but Tom is trying to turn her into that cute weird girl so he can project his romantic fantasies in order to be inspired and regain the joy of life. Summer is not boring, the film is from Tom's point of view and he's got her on a pedestal idealized so we just don't know who's really her. This is not a RomCom, is a comedy about the wrong ideas of love. Thanx!!!
Nothing about this movie was funny. It was just sad. And I feel like Tom did put her on a pedestal a bit but by a year and a half of dating, it's unrealistic to think that "he just loved the idea or the fantasy of her" by that time you deffinatly have seen the reality
Good video, but I disagree with the fact she’s bland. I mean, she’s mysterious and has cool interests. That’s what most people fall for. Just from the start she’s not boring. Plus, the story is told from Tom’s perspective, many things about her are left out and we’re shown what Tom sees at her.
Most women have shitty personalities with the age of social media women are obseced with superficial stuff. Most women are a very bland. So men will just fall in love with that type of women, as long as they are pretty it is enough for a man. I believe you don´t understand that because you´re a woman. But from a man perspective it makes a lot of sense, most of the times we fall in love with a nice and bland women because there aren´t many women with great personalities so bland it´s still better than most women.
there's something so upsetting about the director talking about how she looks on the dvd commentary... i can't articulate it but hearing him call zooey sexy really made me sad for some reason... of course she's beautiful but that shouldn't be all you can describe her as, especially when you had a professional relationship with her :/
Women don't want to be seen as only sexy but they don't have to develop other traits because of their sexiness. Men want to be seen as sexy but have to develop other traits to get noticed at all. Both wants what the other one has. The grass is always greener. Men wish they didn't have to accomplish so much and work so hard to get the attention of women and women wished they got the respect the man earned from working so hard without doing the work.
I mean the editor only picked out the parts where the director talked about her looks unless you watch the commentary you can shouldnt assume things about the director
@@mgtowbooboo8530 he never wants to know her as an actually person. He never actually loves _her_ , he loves the _idea_ of her. When he lists all the things he loves about her, that's exactly just it- they are things. Her eyes, her face, her hair, the way she licks her lips. Never anything actually inside of her. Nothing she's interested in. Nothing that makes her happy. Nothing she actually does. Nothing real or lasting. Just her outer casing. The idea of her. Also, your name makes me giggle 👌
Not to be too critical here, but the scene right before reality/expectations scene doesn’t illustrate that Tom’s friends or men in general know the traits they want in a partner. Quite the opposite, and I’m surprised you didn’t catch it. Their answers highlight varying degrees of dysfunction at different stages in a relationship, and accepting the disappointing reality of most romantic relationships. Rewatch the scene #1) A man so desperate and needy for a woman’s affection he will date anyone. #2) A husband who relies on cliches and the words of another to express his love...most likely indicating the romance died long ago. #3) Coming to accept the compromise that comes with dating someone that doesn’t meet all or even most of your expectations. Simply stating your real world partner is better than your idealistic expectations, because they’re real...isn’t exactly nailing down the qualities they want in a partner. Each and every one of those answers highlighted a man who’s become disillusioned with romantic love.
I also thought the scene was arranged in a sort of a scale, from the" worse "romantic state to be in to the" best"-most likely from Tom's perspective Worse being of course the desperate one who'll date any woman that'll give him attention, he's just a witty guy who seeks affection ,not connection- maybe because he thinks that true connection is way beyond his reach. Then comes is man that got into a well established long term relationship, but he preserves with meaningless ideals ("The light that leads me home" can be a very profound saying but we later informed that he took it out of a greeting card that he didnt even wrote) In the movie he's presented as a shallow man, so a shallow relationship suffices for him Third one is also in a long committed relationship, but his state is way better. Him and Robin have a real connection and he truly loves her,yet he describes his dream girl, very superficially, he also worded it so it sounds like "upgrades" for Robin (More into sports, different hair). While he not being exactly what wants, he still prefers her. I took him saying "Shes real" Not as a weak excuse but as a way of saying that ..well shes a real human being , not designed by his lustful fantasies. And at last comes Tom, because in his eyes he's in the best romantic situation - head over heels for his perfect girl. It's so exciting and new. Summer is also very affectionate, and always seems in reach. She inspires him, makes him unbelievably happy and gives him a purpose. Well,we all know that this fling wasn't as good as Tom thought. He is blinded into it, believing him and Summer are soulmates ,that soon they'll become official So he can't say anything, he can't admit the truth, the fact that this relationship has no ground..I do agree that hes silent because he's the only one still decieved by the false idea of.love,but also because he can't bring himself to think realistically *Tl;dr* - I believe the order of men speaking was intentional, and that Tom was feeling all above them while being heavily in denial that they're in a better place, because they're settled.
I agree. We don't like Summer because we feel like she betrayed Tom but it was just an image that Tom saw and he fell in love with her and didn't see clearly. Basically we don't even know who Summer is because we just see her as Tom sees her. But this video is really good. I feel so sad when I think about the truth that we see a version of people that we want to see and maybe don't see who they are. It's true when you hate someone too. Because you want to see the bad all the time because you want to continue hating on them and don't see that maybe they are more similar to you than you thought.
@Occam's Chainsaw but people do that. People are people. Right and wrong doesn't change that. In Summer's background we are shown just how much she's gotten out of life and gotten her way for being pretty. She uses that to her advantage in her adult life, she may not do it purposely in a malicious way, but it can have malicious outcomes. Mainly, she thinks about herself the same way Tom only thinks about himself, but Tom ignores all of that to only see what he wants to see in Summer. This movie is basically a PSA to not fall in love with the idea of people, but to fall in love with people for who they already are. Plus, we again only get what Tom wants to see. Just because she shows her ring off to one person, quite a LONG time into the party, does not mean it's an engagement party. Nothing else about that party says anything about an engagement party. Don't you think people would be congratulating her the whole party and she'd be showing her ring off, with her fiance right next to her, if it was an engagement party? I know Tom ignores a lot of what he doesn't want to see, but I can't see him ignoring all of that other stuff, but finally seeing it an hour or so into the party.
It's just the classic projecting onto someone. I think we've all done it at some point... We meet someone, fall at first sight because they're physically attractive and we have something in common like Summer and Tom both loving The Smiths and then we think they have to be our soulmature because of that. Love goes deeper, just because we have things in common with someone they may not even be compatible with us at all because compatability goes deeper than common interests or music groups but we often fail to see that... That's why this movie is so realistic. Love at first sight is usually built on projecting I think because you can't know someone whom they really are deep down from seeing them or having one conversation with them.
I dont know its intentional or not, but yes, that is what Summer is suppose to be. Just somebody who Tom idolizes for no real reason and finds it hard to move on until he eventually does that. If they made her more "happy romantic comedy chick" you would always wonder "but why didn't they stay together" and stuff like that. Here they made her more "they are not for each other" but without any needless vilifying of her (for example her cheating or something like that). It didn't worked out, they both moved on and that is it.
I think that if this movie was real life, then that would be true, but I feel that aspect of Tom's character makes him realistic because a lot of people tend to do that and it is an interesting trait to watch unfold on screen. However in terms of how Summer's character is written, she is arguably the worst in the movie.
Summer was not boring or a manic pixie dream girl. That’s just how Tom saw her just like you said in the video. Summer was not the shallow one, but Tom was. I don’t think she was the worst part of the movie or even bad. We literally have no idea of her personality. We didn’t get to see, it doesn’t mean she has no personality. It’s just that Tom was not interested in her personality. He didn’t even ask what her dream or goal is. He was interested in the things he was getting out of the relationship because Tom was not a grown-up yet. Growing old is not the same thing with growing-up. That’s probably why they didn’t work because Summer could see it. That he’s not really in love with her, but obsessed with her for all the superficial reasons. Tom didn’t know what love was. He didn’t really know himself. He had not expectation from world other than a woman who’ll complete him. And that’s how the relationship worked between them. It made Tom an adult finally. And we can see a warm, fun Summer in the “expectation” scene or in the wedding scene. She’s just not that warm with Tom. You know because... she’s not in love with him.
Reason why Summer broke up with him because she knows Tom wasn't in love with her. Tom only loves her superficial feature and "fun" they had. Like what u just pointed out. Tom is egois like JLG said. He wants Summer because of how she makes him feels not because of who she is. I don't even know who Summer is because Tom never gave a damn attention to what she said. He only cares ab8 he is the attention of Summer's life. Glad Tom grows up & realized there's so much more than just face and common things. But what I don't understand is why Summer kissed him, had sex with him but keep calling it as friends?
That just upped the anti in complexity. It was like saying that women can do whatever they want and you have to be man enough to take it because you don't own them or something like that. Although there are many times that if a man did that to a woman people would say he was taking advantage of her.
Summer was broken after her parents divorce. It affected all her life and relationships. She didn't wanted to have relationship because of that. She was afraid to lose and experience break up. After Tom & Summer broke up, Summer grew up from this trauma and she started to be open to have a real relationship. She even get married. Marriage means you may divorce if it's not working. I don't know why so many people can't see Summer's character. There were many moments which showed her personality.
He only loved the idea of her, that's why she was never sure with him. Also, if anyone is itching for perspective on "love" like this, watch *100 Poems For Stella.* It's available on Netflix.
I think Summer is the perfect example of an idealized woman. She had nothing special but Tom was in love and saw her as the most incredible girl in the world. Summer is not a boring character, it's just that she was not the right person for Tom, and that's why she could never really shine by his side. It all comes down to that the fact that a pretty girl likes the same crap as you, doesn’t mean she is your soul mate.
I read all those comments and I'm shocked. We see her personality so many times but people just ignored it because of Tom and his feelings. That's really sad
I think Summer being bland makes sense not from Tom's pov but from the narrator at the start of the movie. Summer is described in her introduction as a person who basically won the lottery in life and has had everything easier based on her looks and intrinsic charisma. The things most people struggle with she's always had fall into her lap. Realistically that type of person is not going to have the depths you get through trauma and hardship. That's what Tom was really struggling with on the bench at the end of the movie. Summer wasn't carefree because she shrugged off all the rain, she was carefree because through cosmic happenstance it never fell on her. She could breakup and immediately find love because that is how life works for her. She didn't really have to think too hard about how he felt because doing whatever she felt like doing meets all her needs. tbh I think that's the real reason why audiences initially hated her and sided with Tom.
The reason she's so bland is because the movie was written in toms perspective. Tom is mostly interested in how summer makes "him" feel, not who summer really is. Toms character in the movie uses a lot of possessive pronouns when talking about summer. For all we know summer could be a more deep or colourful character but the movie isn't focused on her characters perspective. So we never truly get to know her. She isn't a manic pixie trope either, that's toms projection of her.
For some, it's the same thing. Sad, but true. Which is why, when the infatuation fades, there's no love to prop up the relationship. Some run from relationship to relationship, looking for the rush that always fades. 'Love' that's based pheromones and foreplay is doomed to fail.
The Graduate in particular is also important when describing how Tom views romance. The narrator even said Tom misunderstood the ending. When we see him and Summer watching it at a theater, Summer's crying while Tom's just grinning. Does he ask why she got emotional? Nope.
Does anyone else wonder how exactly Tom misinterpreted the graduate? (Spoiler) I feel like when they get on a bus at the end and have that "oh shit, what now?" look, its really obvious that it's not a happily-ever-after ending. Plus, the whole sex with a mother and daughter thing is not a recipe for success. It seems like it's not even pretending to be a romcom, and more a coming of age thing. Like, did Tom think that was a beautiful love story?
First off, we never see Summer without Tom being also present. Tom is the film's perspective and the filmmaker chose to do this to make Summer appear to be his manic pixie dream girl and to fool us into thinking she is. She makes it very clear to Tom of her juxtaposing ideology of love and destiny but the film forces us to ignore her remarks or hope that Tom will change her mind. Summer meets Tom and soon discovers that Tom has given up his true passion in life, being architecture and is always keen to encourage Tom of his passions throughout the film. However, only after Summer indirectly rejects Tom on the rooftop scene does Tom choose to improve his own standing in life and pursue his dream career. I think the itended message is that Tom's dream idea of what Summer could do for him and how special that made Tom feel was something that Tom needed to grow out of and he learned that during his 500 days of Summer. People think Summer is bland or a manic pixie dream girl for Tom, but thats the whole point of this film. That thinking of women as manic pixie dream girls is not healthy and leads to heartbreak, I for one can vouch too.
Honestly I think Tom had less character. She was at least bold and spontaneous, pretty relaxed and didn't really care that much what others thought of her. Tom was the opposite of those things. Because of his lacking confidence, he didn't make any sort of move on her at all, she did all the work! He cared very much about what others thought of him. When she clearly was upset about something, he was unable to open her up. He couldn't stand up for what he wanted, probably in fear of losing her, which made him act incongruently with his words. It can be hard to trust someone like that. He agreed to take things slow but still acted needy by trying to force things along instead of letting things happen naturally. I think that is why she sometimes acted cold or bland towards him, because she was turned off by his personality.
I agree with everyone, this is a great video ! You caught a very subtle yet significant point and it made me question, maybe the reason Summer never could be "sure" with Tom is because deep down she could feel that was not real love, Tom just idealized her as an image in his mind. And for that reason, things did not flow naturally for Summer, who knows ...
Super gross and hypocritical of the director to say those things in the commentary. I can’t believe he actually did that while trying to admonish those exact type of people in his own film. Unbelievable.
I recently watched a video by Sloan Stowe (another video-essayist who likes to talk about shows and movies), which is probably why I was recommended this video and she points to a lot of elements that would indicate the plot of this movie started out as a revenge movie only to become the movie it is now thanks to the influence of its co-authors, its cast and the rest of the team involved in the movie. This really weird and horribly just gross commentary would further support that idea.
Literally the point of 500 Days is to see the world from Tom's perspective. We see Summer as personality-less because we're seeing her as Tom does, his own magic pixie dream girl.
I believe the reason Summer comes off as a one dimensional character isn’t just to mirror how a romcom’s depiction of love is wrong. It’s to show that people in real life can fill the role you want them to play. Most people would say Tom thought he was in love with Summer but was wrong. I say in reality Summer didn’t care if he was in love with her. She played the part of the quirky girlfriend for a while but, Her goal was never to stay with him, instead she wanted to manipulate him into being with her even though she knew she was never gonna give him what he wants. At the end of the movie when Tom asks Summer why she danced with him but never mentioned she was getting married she says “cause I wanted to.” Showing that in real life people can purposely act like the version of themselves you see in movies just to prove that someone can fall in love with that fantasized version of how they want to be perceived, even if it is ultimately only to serve their own ego.
All the movies, books etc gave us the misconception of soulmate, 'meant to be together' crap. Tom was so much influenced by this idea and didn't see summer as a person. Most of us will have the first impression that summer dumped Tom. But if Summer is bound to be ok with that, so is Tom. He can keep his idea of Summer and still move on. The movie has a brilliant ending with Tom meeting Autumn. He has a lot to explore. That's brilliantly put together.
That's one of the beautiful parts of the film. It shows how subjective love and relationships can be. However, I disagree with you about the ending. I thought it would have been better if it ended with him just accepting being by myself. I'm actually going to be writing another video essay on my thoughts on the ending this year :)
@@ArianaAlexis Yeah may be at a later point Tom will realize it is okay being himself. At the end of the movie Tom is starting his journey, I thought. Well, all the very best for your next video.
This movie ends happily actually, Tom grows up and turns the page, it's a it may hurt but everything will be all right type of ending. Also I don't agree with the fact that depict somebody with the things they love is a bad idea, or make you don't like a character, juste look at the way Amelie did it, it's so poetic. I loved the character of Summer because she feels real, she's not the all time happy character that we see in all movie, she's not either the so depressed character that is in every movies, she's sometimes borring, ironic, she doesn't force smiling 24/7 because it's better for other to watch. She's not accentuated to fit in the movie character mold.
Have you ever thought it is because she isn't an objective character? She's portrayed completely through the lens of Tom's perspective. Tom has an 'idea' about her, and he feels disappointed in her because she doesn't adhere to that idea of his about her. This story is about Tom's coming of an age. He has to grow up, mature, and approach and deal with things accodingly.
You missed the point of the movie! If you take complete charge of your life without having unreal expectations gathered from outside, you'd be contempt irrespective of success or failure. Or if not contempt, you'd be better equipped to handle failures. Consider the ending for example, he doesn't know whether it will go well with Autumn, she might turn out just another Summer. But our man is ready to face it with complete responsibility. :)
I’ve watched this movie since middle school and it’s been one of my all time favorites ever since. Never really had any complaints about it. Then I went off to college and studied architecture. Let me tell you the way they show Tom as an architect is so inaccurate and romanticized. It hurts so much now to rewatch this movie and when one of my favorite scenes of Tom redrawing the buildings on summers arm happens and he just says some bs nonsense about increasing lighting or something. I still love the movie though
That’s so interesting! I would love to hear about the difference between real architecture and movie representations of it! Did this movie inspire you to go into architecture?
Ariana Alexis The movie did influence me to some degree to pursue architecture but it definitely wasn’t my driving reason and a good thing too. The pretty drawings that Tom does in the movie are really nice to look at and I always loved the aesthetic but when you’re in school, unless you’re in a drawing class, you don’t do a lot of perspective drawings like that. Not by hand at least. The thing the movie completely over looks is that with the advancements in technology architects don’t necessarily need to be able to draw in order to do their jobs. I’m ok at it but almost all my work is digital. Never once in the movie does it show Tom using any type of CAD software which when creating your portfolio like he does at the end you definitely would be using. You wouldn’t go into an architecture firm with a bunch of pretty perspective drawings and expect a job 😂 it’s ridiculous. Like they could have at least had him draw some plans and sections. Also the way he was working with chalk on his wall like what??? Why? It just doesn’t make sense. It looked great and artsy for the movie but just not realistic at all. Lastly a big thing they ignored is that to become an architect you need more than a bachelors degree. To become a licensed architect you need to take a test, kind of like lawyers have to do with the bar exam. Toms been out of practice for a long time and the movie is unclear, maybe the job he was applying for was for a lower design position, but he’s not an architect. They kinda gloss over that part and I get why. It would be time consuming and pointless to explain. Sorry this was kinda long. I hope it makes sense
TheOrangeOne that's so true! My husband is an interior designer and all his projects are done on SketchUp. When I watched the movie years ago I thought "why this guy is drawing something on a chalk board, get your laptop, man"
I’m architect too, and at the end of the movie I was like what is he doing with that big portfolio?...🤔 And the other thing that you mention, if you don’t have some experience in any sub field of architecture you are not getting any job. As for the exam, well I where I’m from we don’t have to take one, we have to do a thesis to graduate. And every tv or movie architect it’s like that just look at Teddy in how I met your mother, that depiction it’s awful...🤦🏼♀️
@@airplanetowardsthesky3265Sorry but I disagree like he says during the movie he doesn’t think he is that good at architecture he thought he wouldn’t be good at the job and maybe he still doesn’t know a lot of things so maybe that’s why he is only drawing because he hasn’t learned to do it digitally yet and he will once he is working in his position.
I think you're correct about romantic comedies being the issue with Tom's expectations, but it's not because the female characters in them are superficial -- I mean the male characters in those movies are superficial too, they're not really the best films generally. The issue is that those films (and pop culture in general) teach men that if they work hard and try hard and show persistence and are sweet and kind they can "win" the girl. And reality is much more complex than that. And that is what this film shows among other things. Tom builds up a fantasy of Summer, ignores facts, ignores what she tells him, and just focuses on the happily ever after which never comes because in real life your expectations have to match reality.
We don’t get a fair representation of Summer as a person as the movie is told through the eyes of Tom and he only sees her on a superficial level and not as a person
maybe that's the whole idea - like Tom, we only ever get to see the _idea_ of her that we manipulate in our own minds rather than who she actually is as a person.
Maybe, yes in some ways. But also no. A year and a half is a long time to know someone and date someone. The movie is 90 minutes but represents a year and a half relationship. It's kind of impossible not to know someone well after that amount of time. He still loved her at the end of it. And I think she loved him too but it just didn't work out for them.
I think your analysis of this motion picture was as accurate as robin hoods archery! bravo, this has changed my perspective on the film! I am experiencing tears of joy, thank you!
First I thought it was Summer's fault. Then I thought it was Tom's fault. Then I found out what trauma bonding was and I recognised that it was actually Summer's fault, but at the same time wasn't her fault, because I realized she was most likely raised around of a lot of relationship trauma growing up that she would eventually model. Meanwhile Tom might have been niave, but he was atleast attempting to model a healthy archetypal relationship.
I've watched this film a second time and now I see it through different eyes and understand it so much better. My question though and what I still don't understand is why Tom and Summer are "incompatible". It is perplexing because they seem to be happy with each other and have fun together and love each other. The only incompatibility offered is that Tom is a Romantic and Summer is not, until she is and then she is but for someone else. So in the end the question is are they incompatible simply because they are each still "growing up" and starting from different perspectives? We never learn or understand what it is that made Summer switch from not believing in romantic love to being engaged to be married within months of breaking up with Tom and why she did so. I find it to be a strange and highly narcissistic view of romantic love when a partner is considered "incompatible" because they are still figuring out their lives. Wouldn't it also be fair to say that Summer definitely didn't have her life or career figured out even a little bit? Aren't partners in romantic love supposed to be strong for each other and devoted to each other to help each other to cheer on each other in their growth and quest toward finding their own personal successes? Do other people feel that this "post modern" view of romantic love as haphazard serial monogamy is dangerous and cheapens any future possibility of actual committed romantic love? Or is it inevitable that we all go through these stages of experiencing the pain of having our hearts broken as part of the process of discovering how to practice romantic love in a way where one learns to fully love oneself so they can be love for others rather than seeking that love through a partner? At the very least this film really makes one contemplate these questions far more than any other film about Love I've ever encountered. Just still wondering why they weren't compatible and asking the same question Summer asked Tom on their first date. Tom's answer "you just know" is obviously a colossal error because he surely didn't "know" when he thought he did and then this irony at the end that Summer uses the same line on him after finding it with someone else!
You described it perfectly. They had a "thing". So many people have had the same experience, but want to "remember it" as something "more" like a full relationship. That's very rare. So, just like this movie it was one sided and somebody got really really hurt. When you are hurt in a relationship it's not "revenge" you seek it's "making sense". What happenned. Who's fault. Whatever 'works" in your mind is your reality. Thus, the myriad of "side takers" and strong opinions. Yes, I've seen this movie over a few dozen times, myself. My opinions have changed, but here's my judgments: 1. Tom is immature and "wants to be in love" so he projects the best qualities(dream girl) onto Summer. 2. Summer is lonely and is just enjoying "not being alone" and with somebody. If you've ever been there, you just 'shut up" and enjoy it while you can. No honesty. No analysis. or...poof...gone!! 3. Summer says she "doesn't believe in love", but would have "converted" had this happened. a.) When(thanks to Tom's drunken friend) Tom was confronted by Summer straight up asking , "....do you like me, like me?" b.) If he had only(had the maturity, had the balls....) to take Summer right then and there and given her the kiss that she was waiting for. 4. Summer finally got engaged to a total stranger that she met when she was having lunch alone and reading a book. The stranger took the initiative and then "heels went over heads". Sounds like destiny, right. 5. Tom just wasn't ready. He knew his "fantasy girl". He just wasn't ready to "make all the right moves" to make it happen for her. 6. Right person, but wrong time for Tom(not ready). 7. Right person, but wrong time(he ain't read, but she was) for Summer. Still the journey was beautiful and this really opened my eyes to the amazing architecture of DTLA.
I recently experienced being dumped. Roughly around a month before our anniversary she called it quits and left me. Ive been struggling to deal with this empty feeling and i didn't understand what happened. This video actually opened my eyes to the possibility that i was imagining her as perfect when everyone else said she treated me horrible. Same stuff, her smile, her laugh, her gaze and how she spoke to me. Neither of us were perfect. We actually didn't even have much in common. Im glad i ran across this video, it honestly has changed my perspective and ill probably be able to sleep finally. Thanks for the awesome video.
I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. Break ups all always tough, but it's even tougher when you idealize the person. I'm glad this video was able to give you some peace.
I always thought that was the whole point of the film, he refuses to actually know her because he doesn’t want to hear something he won’t like that will change his perspective of her. When she is telling him something she has never told anyone before, be doesn’t actually listen all he is thinking about is how this is working for him.
I highly recommend listening to the Bechdel Cast's episode on 500 Days of Summer. They really delve into Tom's imperfections as a protagonist and actually theorize that he can actually be the antagonist of the film.
This feels like a bit unfair to the storytellers as they attempted to portray a very specific time in a character's life that is supposed to be representative of a time that many people go through. I wouldn't call Summer bland or "a vessel to advance the plot" (also felt like a misreading of women in romcoms. They are supposed to be blank canvases for viewers to paint themselves as. The whole point of adopting their perspective to feel what they feel means you can't get to specific or else you alienate the members of the audience who isn't the same as the character). We know that she is damaged by her parent's divorce at a young age which makes her distant, upfront about not wanting to be in a relationship with Tom furthering the distance, growing to change that position by the end of the movie and ultimately someone whom Tom recognizes as person who deserves none of the ill will we are meant to feel about her. You are right in that we see this from Tom's perspective, and we know for most of the film that he doesn't end up having good feelings for her. So shouldn't we also not trust the narrator to offer a fair and accurate portrait? How often do we say nice things about our exes? Tom is at a place where he doesn't know what he wants in a partner. Most people in their 20's are in a place like that. They end up finding out what they want by trial and error, which is what I think we are seeing here
I just watched this film for the first time yesterday (after a good year or two of having it on my “to watch” list). And I gotta say I was genuinely surprised. I went in blind, just expecting a romcom that would have a happy ending. I was watching it really because I was bored and wanted a pick me up. I didn’t expect to come away with a new found awareness for how I might project my expectations onto other people. Having watched the film and read an analysis and watched your video. I realised that I have a similar issue to Tom, in that the things about the opposite gender that I look for are superficial or bizaro crap that we have in common. And the reason for that can definitely be attributed to the way rom coms have led me to perceive relationships. Luckily I’m not exactly like Tom in that I also look at personality comparability and a host of other things as well. Tldr: I really like your video and how you broke it down, I actually learned something about myself because of it (I subscribed too :) )
That’s the point - Have you ever watched a friend fall for someone who you can’t see anything in? No morals, personality, or maybe they’re just boring etc. The point here is it’s about that ‘friend’ represented here by Tom falling for someone that we don’t see anything in. But the movie makes the point of showing that HE sees something. It doesn’t matter how we feel, it only matters how he does. She is boring and one dimensional on purpose, because we don’t see anything, but we see the point of view of someone seeing something, and creating sympathy through that. We understand how Tom feels, but it doesn’t mean we’re meant to agree with it
I hate to admit it but music and movies have really fucked up my relationship expectations. To the point were I start to hate the relationship because it's not going how it's "supposed" to be going, at which point I initiate a series of fruitless desperate efforts to "fix" what isn't even that broken and I end up completly destroying whatever attracted me to the person in the first place, and then I break up with her. And I think that's what happens to Tom.
I’m on Summers side. She was always honest, she never lied to him, she told him she didn’t want something serious. He accepted and made ideas in his head.
She invited him to her engagement party, that was worse than lying. She didn't even mention what the party was about. She never mentioned she was in a relationship. So many things that she did after they "broke up". She was just bad person.
This entire movie has established in the end what it promised us right at the beginning: This is Not a Love Story. Period! There is no room for Summer's perspective throughout the movie. There is no depiction of Summer's view of Tom. The entire movie only shows Tom's perspective, even Summer is only seen through Tom's eyes. It only serves to clinch how one-sided Tom's affair with Summer was. He was into it. She was not. She tried to but couldn't seem to find connection. In Tom's eyes, Summer was in love with him. Therefore, Tom was in love with only the idea of Summer loving him. The cinematography, the screenplay beautifully establishes the stark contrast between Man's inner world and his outer world. Tom has built up the image of Summer and himself together in his mind. Sadly, he is awakened to a tragic shattering of that image. This movie is truly about Tom and only Tom and him meeting Summer. This movie isn't about Tom and Summer. It's about Tom growing up from the romantic movies he saw as a child and the sad British pop music. As for Summer, she is actually a very real and an interesting character. However, we are only shown glimpses of the real Summer, the Summer with some hidden depths. One such example is when Summer, very kindly and considerately but indirectly, urges Tom to pursue architecture but Tom always manages to brush the topic away. For Tom, the conversation, about his love for architecture, between him and Summer always remains an unresolved issue. Tom simply uses his relationship with Summer as an escape from things he doesn't want to deal with such as his dreary life at the greeting cards office and his inability to be bold and pursue architecture. However, in the entirety of it, Webb only depicts Summer as a character that helps Tom to accept his true calling(architectural engineering). Summer only serves as an instrument in Tom's growth and development.
All the time i hear how romantic love affects negatively women's expectations on relationships and love interests but i never hear how it can also affect men and this is a perfect depiction that, by the way i love your content
I agree with you up until the Marc Webb part. He purposefully had Zooey play this character basic and one dimensional. Marc Webb knows the problems with rom com portrayals of women, and this movie is a statement to that.
Amazing video essay :D Thank you for breaking down the movie like this, I 100% relate! Looking forward to seeing more stuff like this, take your time, I know it's takes a while. If you take any movie suggestions, I am more than happy to say, try "Scott Pilgrim VS The World", or "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". Take care, all the best, Milan :D
Oooo yep.. I never realized why I felt so much when I watched this movie. Plagued by bad decisions and optimism, I was Tom. Growing up mostly with my sister and mom, Romantic movies were my reality of love. Sad to say, but I loved it(still kinda do). I couldnt tell you when the magic of them left and turned into some mission I was on. Saying that, I met a girl that I fell in love with, but just like Tom, I couldn't tell myself what it was. I just knew, I could watch this perfect for eternity. She was perfect in her own rite, but looking back at it, I never saw her in that light. I only saw her as what I wanted to see, someone to "save" me and enjoy this life with. And ironically, it wasn't a relationship it was a "romantic thing." This movie is perfect in showing how our perception is really what hinders us finding love. That that soulmate, is just that. Think of your soul, it wasn't constructed by you, decided by you, it just is. It is pure, and it just wants to express itself. This is perfectly showcased in the final scene (which honestly felt like the actual rom-com was about to start, compared to the movie we see, which as you pointed out is just in his eyes. Its not really love. Its one-sided and, at the end of the day, selfish. Still, beautiful craftsmanship by the writer), how this love we are all finding is coincidence. That's what makes it so special, that such a heavenly thing, just is, not forced or controlled. I was crazy blown but your analysis of her portrayal as bland.. cause thinking about THAT girl in my life, she was kinda dull, almost emotional-less. The level to which I put into the idea for both of us that this was so much more was absurd. But I tried, tried, and tried some more to make it somehow turn out as love. But love is a dance, and it takes 2 to tango. Standing side by side, not one in front of the other, but equals in facing this world That person is the one who makes you engage life, makes you want to grow and prosper, because you kniw she's right there holding your hand, doing the same. You share each others grow/prosperity, and the hardships, but knowing that they hard firmly grasping you makes it almost enjoyable to struggle. With that being said, you're right that Summer in a way was a huge part of his love life because with out him engaging that pain, and disillusion, he was able to learn. He let go of his version of love, and was finally able to truly see the face of love. So yeah you what find that perfect person you're imagining because love is not a matter of logic or intelligence (only sex is). Love is a matter of the heart, and all matters of the heart must be felt. Sincerely, enjoyed this! :)
The one time she told him about something really important for her, he didn’t listen. Maybe she did more but it wasn’t as important as her looks and the things they had in common. The only other scene where they talk about her life is her exes, and afterwards he was jealous and kinda angry, than she mentioned the person. The moments before the break up show her sad and unpresent,but he didn’t care at all. He just tried to relive the past. He interprets everything the way it comforts him, or makes him the victim. Oh she laughed with me, she wants me back. Oh she had a nice weekend without me, she clearly slept with someone what a b-word. He just wants to be the winner or the victim. Nothing that makes him at fault is possible in his mindset. At the end he learned nothing. It starts just the same with the counting. She’s the one even though I know nothing about her. Summer had a nice talk with her husband and formed a sympathy with him, but she needed time and then she knew he was the one, on some day when she woke up. It’s maybe fate that they met, but it‘s choice that made them the ones for each other . They knew that marriage worked for them.Autumn never said anything besides her name, and he already plans their „future“. The cycle starts again…
Does anybody remember the episode in How I Met Your Mother where the characters point something out about another character. That is how i feel right now. Cue th glass breaking sound.
Summer is the best part of the movie! It's a really relatable performance for when you're an object of someone projecting their need of love on to you without actually learning to love you. When you try to have a relationship with someone whose only in love with love but is painfully unaware of it and dodges seeing anything in you that isn't in line with their picture of you. We don't get to know Summer because Tom doesn't.
Pretty great analysis ! lol you went in on Summer, but you're pretty spot on. I always felt she was the problem and the whole movie is a slap in the face to Tom. He loves the idea of her being the one, not her for who she is.
TheValueKing It took me 8 years to figure that out :p the movie changes meaning based on what’s happening in my life so it was hard to keep track of why I didn’t feel it was perfect
So I absolutely love this movie and just found this video, and wow. I'm going through a breakup right now and man was she a Summer, and I was for sure Tom. Maybe that's something I have to fix. I'm like Ted Mosby, I have this crazy idea of love and when someone loves me I fall head over heels, which is dangerous. Anyway, before I go on a rant, your video helped me realize ALOT, 18 days into this breakup I'm suffering but this made me feel a lot better. So thank you!
When I first watched the movie. The only thing that came to my mind was "God, summer is a bitch. How could she do that to him etc." Then I watched the movie a couple more times and I finally saw the point of the movie, which I was ignoring from the beginning, because I was so into thinking that Summer is not a nice girl. She and Tom are both two different individuals, Tom never fell in love with Summer for how she was as a partner. He liked all the superficial things about her. He projected a girl which he actually wanted to date and tried to FORCE it onto the character of Summer. He wasn't realizing that Summer is actually NOT what he wants her to be. So in a way it wasn't Summer's fault that it didn't work out, it was Tom's because he was being selfish. People don't get it, even I didn't get that in the first viewing. P.S - this doesn't change the fact that Summer's character in the movie was a bitch. Summer will always be a bitch.
My take on summer was that the reason she is the love interest despite being objectively boring is because Tom is infatuated with her. You touched on this and i think this may have been the full intentio of the movie. From a male point of view, when i was less emotionally mature i was guilty of this arc. Meeting a girl, becoming infatuated due to her looks and a couple of hallmark personality traits, and at that point creating an idea of her instead of seeing who she is exactly. Like the two scenes where Tom states what he loves then what he hates about her despite it being her, eventually the girl would not live up to my delusion of them and i would find myself blaming them for it. Thats what this movie taught me and thats what I got out of it. Might be wrong but just thought id share 🤷♂️
I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one that learned this lesson from the film. While I do agree it's one of the biggest themes in the movie, I think that there are a lot of other things the writers were trying to get across. For me, my biggest take away is that relationships aren't everything and you can't rely on one person to make you happy. You have to be ok with yourself
I love that beautiful cat! Basically, we see the entire movie, including Summer, from his perspective. However, we also see his fallacy. He is idealistic, and it never changes. I love the movie because it moves him to go after his true purpose. He is an architect and not a greeting card writer. In that way, it has a happy ending. But also, it is about honing in on one question: Are we in love with someone because of who they are, or our own idea and perception of who they are?
Then what do u think should be the traits of your love interest if u think that similar interest is not one of those traits?? I want to know ur opinion as u have deciphered 500 days of summer in the most realistic way possible, u really are an expert
i think instead of summer being boring and shallow. We as an audience had never really met the real summer because the movie was told in tom's perspective. But we see glimpses of her personality and problems throughout the movie. When they 'broke up" after watching the graduate he told his friend that they were fine everything was great and summer simply said "i think we should stop seeing each other, just like that". Later on we learn that that she cried watching the movie (probably because she could emphatize with the main character situation who realized that they were not in love) and shut Tom out afterwards. She was literally not okay, but Tom did not realize it. when summer told tom that she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her. Ps i've watched 500 days of summer sooo many times tooo
My issue with the movie is that they were trying to bash idealization, but they also tempt us to idealize. They bash infatuation, but also tempt us with getting infatuation. They bring us down a love drunk state by seeing through Tom's eyes and only give us snippets of sobriety through characters like his sister & friends and self epiphanies towards the end. Thus, the masterminds behind this contribute to the very same issue they were trying to point out and sort of eradicate.
For me, the best thing was your admission at 07:51. (500) Days of Summer is a work of art. Sometimes a movie has a pretty straightforward interpretation, and sometimes you have to seek it out. I am not sure whether this movie belongs to which one of these two categories. However, we can always perceive a movie different than others. I appreciated that you said that you might be wrong about Summer being the worst part or she being a one-dimensional character. Ultimately, what a movie makes us feel and think is what matters. My perception may differ from yours. It is important to agree to disagree. :)
She never broke up with tom in thr first place because they arent together. It was clear that nothing going further in their relationship in IKEA bed scene. Tom just assume there was somethng
i think summer is portraited as this bland girl exactly because that’s how the film wants us to see how Tom sees her. Tom doesn’t know her well enough, just like we audiences dont know summer enough. And that’s the whole point- tom fantasizes her and was being naive the whole time.
Your breakdown is pretty damn good. I saw this movie when it came out and I cried. It reminds me too much of myself. In a way I hate it because of what it does to me emotionally. But I can't help but watch it every so often to remind me in not a cold bastard. It really is a fantastic movie and I hate myself for loving it so much.
I don't think there is such a thing as a fake or unrealistic relationships in movies. In fact, I dare say they reflect real life relationships. See its easy to critique someones relationships from a 3rd person point of view. Just because the audience doesn't get it, or say a friend doesn't get their friends relationship, it doesn't make it unrealistic. It does bring the probability that it is a bad relationship but that absolutely happens constantly.
The first time I saw the movie I hated it, because it didn’t have a happy ending. But as I watched it more times and as I pondered the themes and meanings within, I grew to like it. It wasn’t until I experienced a relationship similar to that of Tom and Summer that I began to love it. I saw myself in Summer. Summer was written in such a way that she is easily a self insert. But that isn’t what people do the first time watching. The movie is told from Tim’s side of the story, so if anything you are going to relate to him or compare yourself to him. And I do, I did my first few times around. I am someone who has fallen in love with the idea of someone, just like Tom. Maybe I should make a video about my experimence with this film. I’ve seen lots of videos like this one, but I’ve never made one, and I always have a lot to say on the matter.
There's no villain fam. If you've been in a situation similar to Tom's and have done inner self work you'll know exactly why Summer is represented the way she is. She is a really good dvd player so he can play his projected fantasies on her. She's not a human to him
3:00 That's not creepy, that's called falling in love. It's not that superficial, he didn't say he liked her ass. Personality is often expressed in body language. Also "interests" is not a superficial thing, it says a lot about a person. The initial stage of falling in love is pretty much infatuation which is often quite physical, it doesn't mean that Summer is a superficial character thru Tom's eyes, the film just portrays the reality of this process from the perspective of young men. They take these things and build up a whole idea of a person around it and proceed to fall in love with that idea. There's nothing superficial about it. But it is highly irrational and unfair to the object of their affection, and will ultimately backfire. And that is what the film is about.
I honestly think that it's not the movie that has a problem but these kinds of videos. I see it more often, that good movies get titles like "everything wrong with.." Although it's sometimes definitely interesting to catch mistakes, sometimes I feel like people are deliberately looking for anything wrong with it, or anything that could be wrong. None of these arguments have given me the feeling that something IS wrong with this movie and the examples sometimes even contrast the argument. I usually do not like romantic movies at all, but this is my favorite, because of how real it is! I think her character is actually very interesting, cause the movie seemed to hint towards a lot of layers about Summer that aren't explored and therefore left a lot of space for people imagination of what she might actually be like and her motives. What I like about Summer is that instead of highlighting ONE overpowered feature about a woman (like many other movies do) such as, making her EXTRA bubbly, or extra strong, extra smart, super intelligent or super sexy, they gave her all of those features but very subtle. So that way she resembled much more of a realistic woman. I myself (a woman) can be fun, sexy, smart, strong, but I am not ever described by someone else as ONE of those words. That's the point. People are complicated. If you're able to describe someone with just one word like 'fun' you're not real (and not a good writer).
Summer is boring because she’s an immature version of a woman, she’s Tom’s version of a woman. He doesn’t see her complexity and the consequence for him is heartbreak. In Tom’s eyes she’s perfect and perfect has no depth.
Summer doesn't need a personality because from Tom's (which is also ours) perspective, he mostly likely ignored it and that's why we see her how she is.
You are right. Summer is supposed to be kinda bland, I think thats kinda the whole point of the movie. Tom doesnt get to know her before he "falls in love" and thats why he is never in love with summer, but with the idea of her that he createt in his head. She is the perfect canvas to project on.
Exactly! I’d like to think the writers did that on purpose as a cautionary tale for people watching
Neither I or the people I watched the movie with did sympathize with Summer in the movie. I don't know the exact plot anymore, but as the creator of the essay stated, she was just bland and no one of us knew why she acted so hard on the protagonist.
I guess you are right here, it's a depiction of something we've all been through, or at least should have: Having a relationship with a "dream-person" and realizing that they either don't fullfill the expectations or have flaws that ruin the experience.
If I remember correctly, Summer was always honest to the protagonist in the first place. It was actually him causing his disappointment and frustration, due to overlooking parts of the relationship that were problematic.
That's why I hate love at first sight. At first sight, I seem sweet, precious and funny. And those are all things that are sometimes true about me. But it's by far not all. I've never dated guys who fell in love with me at first sight and I' inherently suspicious of that.
Yes and also we as the viewer never actually get to know the real Summer because she is only ever portrayed from Tom's perspective.
@@ArianaAlexis For sure! Good catch on Summer being off. I think this video essay explains maybenotserious' point with examples: th-cam.com/video/YI2i96G6Kwk/w-d-xo.html
I think the problem with Summer is that she was supposed to be wrong for Tom since the beginning. And we were supposed to feel that 'wrongness', if that makes sense.
Her character seemed dull because we see her from Tom's point of view, who only admired her superficial qualities like you pointed out in this video. Tom never really knew her deep down, so we never get to know her depths.
But the scene when she cried after watching that romantic movie with Tom, and towards the end when she explained to Tom how she met her fiance, showed that there was always a deeper part of her that Tom never knew. She presented herself as a cynic, saying she didn't really believe in love. But deep down she's a romantic at heart. I find that interesting :)
Agreed! Tom never saw her as who she is, he never actually met her because he loved the idea of dating cool girl
We also see tiny little scenes in between "his versions of how their love was" where she does say very deep things or stuff seeming out of character for the personality of her we are mainly shown. They are hidden because it's supposed to show Tom ignoring what he doesn't want to see.
In her background we kind of get the impression that she's basically been given everything in her life because she's pretty and charismatic. She uses that in her adult life because she gets what she wants out of it. She's always been a "I do what I want and I get what I want person". Not like she's purposely malicious about it or an evil person. That's just the type of person she is and may not even realize, or even really care, how it effects the people in her life. She's not even really in your face about it and I appreciate it because I have friends like Summer. Just only think of themselves and not even realize what they are doing.
What I really love about this movie is that it's all from Tom's perspective so when you go back and look at it the movie over again, it kind of makes you question if those moments even happened the way he remembers them. Is Summer really boring or is summer boring in Tom's brain and memories?
There was an instance where you can see just how skewed Tom's perceptions/memories were. Earlier in the movie, Tom was enumerating all the things he loved about Summer, including her heart-shaped scar. Later on after their breakup, he described the scar as cockroach like, lol! Same scar, different perspectives. Tom was biased as a storyteller.
Yep
I agree remember when summer told a story she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her.
Hate to burst your bubble - but Summer is a very realistic portrait of a romantic interest for many men in their twenties. She has exactly all the traits that make men fall in love - she's pretty, she's mysterious, she plays the game of seduction with the main character and they obviously have a good time together. That's more than enough for many many men (and many women, in fact, as well). No character traits, no noble values are needed. If you're in love with someone you want to make the relationship work, no matter how hopeless it is and how shallow are the basis for your infatuation. And that's Tom's story arc - he has to let go of that unrealistic youthful love based mostly on sexual attraction, mature and move to more realistic relationships based on deeper connection.
Yep thats absolutely true.👍
Heck, Summer does have character traits and deeper meaning, Tom just chooses to ignore it because he wants to see what he wants to see. He never actually wants her, he wants the idea of her.
Yeah I think the biggest issue is that she’s most likely a fully realised person, but Tom is our POV and he sees a shallow view of her. She clearly has other friends, another life, dreams, hopes, etc. Tom is just a frustrating character to see out of because the film imo is just not clear about it.
Allyson Wonderland ASMR What are you saying?? What else is beside idea of her? You wanted Tom to just want his physical body? Real objective self is not graspable by anybody.
@@iloveyourunclebob I just watched it for the first time. I think you're right. I think that is ultimately the reason why she broke up with him.
Summer being a low-energy character isn't an issue in my mind, in fact, I see it as another layer of realism. I have met so many beautiful, cool people with boring personalities that others make allowances for because of their good looks and style. I've met many Summers in real life - she is the first one I have seen in a movie.
I've heard that good looking people aren't as interesting as average looking people. That they don't have to try as hard to be interesting. Everyone just wants to be around them.
Amazing comment
Lol i felt summer was high energy...
@@maxwelljoseph2717 yeah, I have a high school friend who is very conventionally pretty so I have observed how often people treat people subtly differently.
@@maxwelljoseph2717 I can’t help but wonder how much of that conclusion was created by people who don’t really know said attractive person very well. It’s hard for anyone to not have a personality, but it’s easy for that personality to get buried by layers of personal superficiality as well as what people project onto you. It’s hard to be yourself when people expect you to not be a dork on the inside. I say this because I’m becoming friends with good-looking people and I still find them quite interesting if not a little dorky
The whole point is that Tom doesn't fall in love with summer. he falls in love with the idea of her. Summer is arguably extremely realistic, she is not keen with the idea of love due to experiences in her childhood and is like a person, summer isn't a bubbly person, she was cynical and actually not quirky like the woman tom saw in her. The issue is that tom doesn't see that, he is wearing rose colored glasses and tries to see a manic pixie dream girl in summer when she isn't like that, she's a person.
Falling in love itself is falling in love with idea. I guess this new generation is about two instruments fucking each other like they do on porn. We never fall in love with physical body or “the real person” there is an always layer of illusion of what Tom experienced and there will always be.
She actually is bubbly, quirky and she is keen on the idea of love. Tom was very perceptive and correct in his assessment. He saw through her fake cynicism as defense mechanisms.
This was all proven at the end when she admitted that Tom was right about love at first sight.
That is unless, you believe that Summer is just a blind like Tom, since she married a guy after a couple of months, based off a book.
@@dinocool6392 she was keen on it after Tom but Tom didn't respect her boundaries emotionally when she said she didn't want anything serious, he pushed that on her and that's honestly what probably drove her away in the first place. The entire movie is also through Tom's perspective, he talks about summer a lot but never about how she's feeling just what she provides to him and their superficial similarities. Tom grew up watching sad romance movies and probably picked up on the idea that a woman exists to make a man's life better and it isn't much more complex than that. Tom doesn't know what love is but by the end of the film he's figuring it out.
@@spookiedooks If Tom doesn't know what love is, then Summer telling him that he was right all along, means that she also does not know what love is. 'love at first sight' and 'just knowing' were her reasons, over a superficial book interest. Which is exactly what Tom is criticized for doing.
Do you think that Summers marriage is doomed to fail, since she has adopted Toms belief in love at first sight?
@@dinocool6392 possibly. She probably has avoidant attachment. Which doesn't tend to be easy in marridges
500 Days of Summer is a spoof of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Of course Summer is personality-less and shallow - because the movie pokes fun at this tired old movie schematic of a quirky adorkable girl coming into a guys life and dragging him out of his shell. I think your reading of the movie is a bit to literal... It's not meant to be taken as an actual story, but a parody and cinematic critique.
but didn't she do research about the director? I think it all comes down to how he describes his movie... The one clue from the movie itself is that he doesn't call it a love-story... But that may just be because it ends in a breakup.
Yes, Tom wants her to be the manic pixie dream girl. At the same time, the movie is from Tom's perspective and Tom's memory and Tom's expectations. There are little scenes of Summer saying very deep stuff that seems out of character to us but it's really not. It's just Tom ignoring it to see what he wants to see.
Is Summer really a flat one-dimensional character or did Tom want her to be a flat one-dimensional character? I'm more inclined to go with the latter.
Summer is only a parody of the manic pixie dream girl inside of Tom's mind. Outside of it, she is a person with her own hopes and dreams and goals.
I agree. I find the last few statements she made in this video to be closer to the truth.
I think Summer's "personality-less" persona was very intentional. To be honest, during the times that I've seen Zooey and Joseph in interviews together, their energy is almost the same as in 500 Days of Summer. I think if anything, Zooey was allowed to simply be herself. Naturally, she appears to be quite nonchalant and undemonstrative, which is partly why I find her to be so fascinating, especially in this film.
Also, Tom does clearly enjoy other qualities about her, such as her sense of humor and her ability to be vulnerable towards him at times.
I think if anything, Tom is what's wrong with the movie for selfishly, projecting his relationship ideals on someone who clearly stated that they were not interested "in being anyone's anything."
@@valhalla1240 I personally view this as a coming of age film
this is the first time I’m hearing it was a spoof. I thought MPDG was a critique of Summer!
Think it about she married a man who wanted to get to know her. It first started as asking about "The Picture of Dorian Grey".
I didn’t even think about that! That’s an interesting thought!
Oh! That is super interesting, especially when you consider the themes of the book, obsession with youth and good looks being one of them. The way Basil was obsessed with Dorian and painted his image mirrors Tom's relationship to Summer. (This story ended a lot nicer though lol)
Yep!
@@ArianaAlexis i think instead of summer being boring and shallow. We as an audience had never really met the real summer because the movie was told in tom's perspective. But we see glimpses of her personality and problems throughout the movie, when she cried watching the graduate and shut Tom out afterwards. Tom did not realized that she was not okay at first. when they broke up after watching the movie he told his friend that they were fine everything was great and she said "lets break up, just like that". and when summer told tom that she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her.
Ps i've watched 500 days of summer sooo many times tooo
Yeah she is boring but I’m m pretty sure that’s the point, they literally say it, and I never thought she was the worst part about the movie, Tom was. That’s what makes it great. Instead of thinking that she is boring we are left with the feeling that that’s not who she really is.
I agree. We never get the chance to truly understand Summer.
Well, someone didn't get the movie... Summer is no a 'manical pixie dream girl', but Tom is trying to turn her into that cute weird girl so he can project his romantic fantasies in order to be inspired and regain the joy of life. Summer is not boring, the film is from Tom's point of view and he's got her on a pedestal idealized so we just don't know who's really her. This is not a RomCom, is a comedy about the wrong ideas of love. Thanx!!!
👏 👏 👏
Nothing about this movie was funny. It was just sad. And I feel like Tom did put her on a pedestal a bit but by a year and a half of dating, it's unrealistic to think that "he just loved the idea or the fantasy of her" by that time you deffinatly have seen the reality
Good video, but I disagree with the fact she’s bland. I mean, she’s mysterious and has cool interests. That’s what most people fall for. Just from the start she’s not boring. Plus, the story is told from Tom’s perspective, many things about her are left out and we’re shown what Tom sees at her.
Thank you :)
I think she’s boring in the context of Toms perspective. However I don’t doubt she might be an interesting person in the “real world”
Most women have shitty personalities with the age of social media women are obseced with superficial stuff. Most women are a very bland. So men will just fall in love with that type of women, as long as they are pretty it is enough for a man. I believe you don´t understand that because you´re a woman. But from a man perspective it makes a lot of sense, most of the times we fall in love with a nice and bland women because there aren´t many women with great personalities so bland it´s still better than most women.
@@EpicBoy94 wtf do you mean “most women have shitty personalities”
@@EpicBoy94most women are bland, that's what men fall in love with, therefore it's better to be with bland than most women?
there's something so upsetting about the director talking about how she looks on the dvd commentary... i can't articulate it but hearing him call zooey sexy really made me sad for some reason... of course she's beautiful but that shouldn't be all you can describe her as, especially when you had a professional relationship with her :/
Women don't want to be seen as only sexy but they don't have to develop other traits because of their sexiness. Men want to be seen as sexy but have to develop other traits to get noticed at all. Both wants what the other one has. The grass is always greener. Men wish they didn't have to accomplish so much and work so hard to get the attention of women and women wished they got the respect the man earned from working so hard without doing the work.
I felt the same.
“Sexy” is a compliment for an actress. Zooey is mostly cute than sexy so it’s a compliment
Let me guess. You have purple hair?
I mean the editor only picked out the parts where the director talked about her looks unless you watch the commentary you can shouldnt assume things about the director
The only reason why summer is the worst is because we see her through Tom's eyes and we know he's an unreliable narrator and doesn't respect her.
Interesting
In what way does he not respect her?
@@mgtowbooboo8530 he never wants to know her as an actually person. He never actually loves _her_ , he loves the _idea_ of her. When he lists all the things he loves about her, that's exactly just it- they are things. Her eyes, her face, her hair, the way she licks her lips. Never anything actually inside of her. Nothing she's interested in. Nothing that makes her happy. Nothing she actually does. Nothing real or lasting. Just her outer casing. The idea of her.
Also, your name makes me giggle 👌
FINALLY, a sane person here
@@iloveyourunclebob that's cuz she is "bland"
Not to be too critical here, but the scene right before reality/expectations scene doesn’t illustrate that Tom’s friends or men in general know the traits they want in a partner. Quite the opposite, and I’m surprised you didn’t catch it.
Their answers highlight varying degrees of dysfunction at different stages in a relationship, and accepting the disappointing reality of most romantic relationships.
Rewatch the scene
#1) A man so desperate and needy for a woman’s affection he will date anyone.
#2) A husband who relies on cliches and the words of another to express his love...most likely indicating the romance died long ago.
#3) Coming to accept the compromise that comes with dating someone that doesn’t meet all or even most of your expectations.
Simply stating your real world partner is better than your idealistic expectations, because they’re real...isn’t exactly nailing down the qualities they want in a partner.
Each and every one of those answers highlighted a man who’s become disillusioned with romantic love.
interesting
John May I haven’t thought of that thank you 🤔!
Exactly. My thoughts. They settled.
Tom is the real OG. The other guys haven’t the balls. Tom did, and he paid dearly for it.
I also thought the scene was arranged in a sort of a scale, from the" worse "romantic state to be in to the" best"-most likely from Tom's perspective
Worse being of course the desperate one who'll date any woman that'll give him attention, he's just a witty guy who seeks affection ,not connection- maybe because he thinks that true connection is way beyond his reach.
Then comes is man that got into a well established long term relationship, but he preserves with meaningless ideals ("The light that leads me home" can be a very profound saying but we later informed that he took it out of a greeting card that he didnt even wrote) In the movie he's presented as a shallow man, so a shallow relationship suffices for him
Third one is also in a long committed relationship, but his state is way better. Him and Robin have a real connection and he truly loves her,yet he describes his dream girl, very superficially, he also worded it so it sounds like "upgrades" for Robin (More into sports, different hair). While he not being exactly what wants, he still prefers her. I took him saying "Shes real" Not as a weak excuse but as a way of saying that ..well shes a real human being , not designed by his lustful fantasies.
And at last comes Tom, because in his eyes he's in the best romantic situation - head over heels for his perfect girl. It's so exciting and new. Summer is also very affectionate, and always seems in reach. She inspires him, makes him unbelievably happy and gives him a purpose. Well,we all know that this fling wasn't as good as Tom thought. He is blinded into it, believing him and Summer are soulmates ,that soon they'll become official
So he can't say anything, he can't admit the truth, the fact that this relationship has no ground..I do agree that hes silent because he's the only one still decieved by the false idea of.love,but also because he can't bring himself to think realistically
*Tl;dr* - I believe the order of men speaking was intentional, and that Tom was feeling all above them while being heavily in denial that they're in a better place, because they're settled.
I agree. We don't like Summer because we feel like she betrayed Tom but it was just an image that Tom saw and he fell in love with her and didn't see clearly. Basically we don't even know who Summer is because we just see her as Tom sees her. But this video is really good. I feel so sad when I think about the truth that we see a version of people that we want to see and maybe don't see who they are. It's true when you hate someone too. Because you want to see the bad all the time because you want to continue hating on them and don't see that maybe they are more similar to you than you thought.
👍
@Occam's Chainsaw i have not seen this movie but yikes
It's true though. I heard a wise person once say " We are nothing but blank screens". We project what we decide on to every person we ever meet.
@Occam's Chainsaw but people do that. People are people. Right and wrong doesn't change that. In Summer's background we are shown just how much she's gotten out of life and gotten her way for being pretty. She uses that to her advantage in her adult life, she may not do it purposely in a malicious way, but it can have malicious outcomes. Mainly, she thinks about herself the same way Tom only thinks about himself, but Tom ignores all of that to only see what he wants to see in Summer. This movie is basically a PSA to not fall in love with the idea of people, but to fall in love with people for who they already are.
Plus, we again only get what Tom wants to see. Just because she shows her ring off to one person, quite a LONG time into the party, does not mean it's an engagement party. Nothing else about that party says anything about an engagement party. Don't you think people would be congratulating her the whole party and she'd be showing her ring off, with her fiance right next to her, if it was an engagement party? I know Tom ignores a lot of what he doesn't want to see, but I can't see him ignoring all of that other stuff, but finally seeing it an hour or so into the party.
@Bruno that wasn't an engagement party. He hadn't proposed to her yet when she invited him.
It's just the classic projecting onto someone. I think we've all done it at some point... We meet someone, fall at first sight because they're physically attractive and we have something in common like Summer and Tom both loving The Smiths and then we think they have to be our soulmature because of that. Love goes deeper, just because we have things in common with someone they may not even be compatible with us at all because compatability goes deeper than common interests or music groups but we often fail to see that... That's why this movie is so realistic. Love at first sight is usually built on projecting I think because you can't know someone whom they really are deep down from seeing them or having one conversation with them.
I dont know its intentional or not, but yes, that is what Summer is suppose to be. Just somebody who Tom idolizes for no real reason and finds it hard to move on until he eventually does that. If they made her more "happy romantic comedy chick" you would always wonder "but why didn't they stay together" and stuff like that. Here they made her more "they are not for each other" but without any needless vilifying of her (for example her cheating or something like that). It didn't worked out, they both moved on and that is it.
He (the actor who plays Tom) says he is the worse of the movie because he fell in love with the image of her, not as her personality.
I think that if this movie was real life, then that would be true, but I feel that aspect of Tom's character makes him realistic because a lot of people tend to do that and it is an interesting trait to watch unfold on screen. However in terms of how Summer's character is written, she is arguably the worst in the movie.
Summer was not boring or a manic pixie dream girl. That’s just how Tom saw her just like you said in the video. Summer was not the shallow one, but Tom was. I don’t think she was the worst part of the movie or even bad. We literally have no idea of her personality. We didn’t get to see, it doesn’t mean she has no personality. It’s just that Tom was not interested in her personality. He didn’t even ask what her dream or goal is. He was interested in the things he was getting out of the relationship because Tom was not a grown-up yet. Growing old is not the same thing with growing-up. That’s probably why they didn’t work because Summer could see it. That he’s not really in love with her, but obsessed with her for all the superficial reasons. Tom didn’t know what love was. He didn’t really know himself. He had not expectation from world other than a woman who’ll complete him. And that’s how the relationship worked between them. It made Tom an adult finally. And we can see a warm, fun Summer in the “expectation” scene or in the wedding scene. She’s just not that warm with Tom. You know because... she’s not in love with him.
I second that
Reason why Summer broke up with him because she knows Tom wasn't in love with her. Tom only loves her superficial feature and "fun" they had. Like what u just pointed out.
Tom is egois like JLG said. He wants Summer because of how she makes him feels not because of who she is. I don't even know who Summer is because Tom never gave a damn attention to what she said. He only cares ab8 he is the attention of Summer's life.
Glad Tom grows up & realized there's so much more than just face and common things.
But what I don't understand is why Summer kissed him, had sex with him but keep calling it as friends?
That just upped the anti in complexity. It was like saying that women can do whatever they want and you have to be man enough to take it because you don't own them or something like that. Although there are many times that if a man did that to a woman people would say he was taking advantage of her.
Summer was broken after her parents divorce. It affected all her life and relationships. She didn't wanted to have relationship because of that. She was afraid to lose and experience break up. After Tom & Summer broke up, Summer grew up from this trauma and she started to be open to have a real relationship. She even get married. Marriage means you may divorce if it's not working. I don't know why so many people can't see Summer's character. There were many moments which showed her personality.
Modern dating is so great isn't it? I think they did both love eachother, but they just couldn't work around thier issues.
He only loved the idea of her, that's why she was never sure with him.
Also, if anyone is itching for perspective on "love" like this, watch *100 Poems For Stella.* It's available on Netflix.
I think Summer is the perfect example of an idealized woman. She had nothing special but Tom was in love and saw her as the most incredible girl in the world.
Summer is not a boring character, it's just that she was not the right person for Tom, and that's why she could never really shine by his side.
It all comes down to that the fact that a pretty girl likes the same crap as you, doesn’t mean she is your soul mate.
Exactly my point :) Great summation of the video!
I read all those comments and I'm shocked. We see her personality so many times but people just ignored it because of Tom and his feelings. That's really sad
I think Summer being bland makes sense not from Tom's pov but from the narrator at the start of the movie. Summer is described in her introduction as a person who basically won the lottery in life and has had everything easier based on her looks and intrinsic charisma. The things most people struggle with she's always had fall into her lap. Realistically that type of person is not going to have the depths you get through trauma and hardship. That's what Tom was really struggling with on the bench at the end of the movie. Summer wasn't carefree because she shrugged off all the rain, she was carefree because through cosmic happenstance it never fell on her. She could breakup and immediately find love because that is how life works for her. She didn't really have to think too hard about how he felt because doing whatever she felt like doing meets all her needs.
tbh I think that's the real reason why audiences initially hated her and sided with Tom.
The reason she's so bland is because the movie was written in toms perspective. Tom is mostly interested in how summer makes "him" feel, not who summer really is. Toms character in the movie uses a lot of possessive pronouns when talking about summer. For all we know summer could be a more deep or colourful character but the movie isn't focused on her characters perspective. So we never truly get to know her. She isn't a manic pixie trope either, that's toms projection of her.
^^^THIS^^^
I never thought tom was in love with her, just infatuated with her
samething, in both senarios you are emotionaly in love whatever to start was
For some, it's the same thing. Sad, but true.
Which is why, when the infatuation fades, there's no love to prop up the relationship.
Some run from relationship to relationship, looking for the rush that always fades.
'Love' that's based pheromones and foreplay is doomed to fail.
The Graduate in particular is also important when describing how Tom views romance. The narrator even said Tom misunderstood the ending. When we see him and Summer watching it at a theater, Summer's crying while Tom's just grinning. Does he ask why she got emotional? Nope.
Does anyone else wonder how exactly Tom misinterpreted the graduate? (Spoiler) I feel like when they get on a bus at the end and have that "oh shit, what now?" look, its really obvious that it's not a happily-ever-after ending. Plus, the whole sex with a mother and daughter thing is not a recipe for success. It seems like it's not even pretending to be a romcom, and more a coming of age thing. Like, did Tom think that was a beautiful love story?
First off, we never see Summer without Tom being also present. Tom is the film's perspective and the filmmaker chose to do this to make Summer appear to be his manic pixie dream girl and to fool us into thinking she is.
She makes it very clear to Tom of her juxtaposing ideology of love and destiny but the film forces us to ignore her remarks or hope that Tom will change her mind.
Summer meets Tom and soon discovers that Tom has given up his true passion in life, being architecture and is always keen to encourage Tom of his passions throughout the film.
However, only after Summer indirectly rejects Tom on the rooftop scene does Tom choose to improve his own standing in life and pursue his dream career.
I think the itended message is that Tom's dream idea of what Summer could do for him and how special that made Tom feel was something that Tom needed to grow out of and he learned that during his 500 days of Summer.
People think Summer is bland or a manic pixie dream girl for Tom, but thats the whole point of this film. That thinking of women as manic pixie dream girls is not healthy and leads to heartbreak, I for one can vouch too.
Honestly I think Tom had less character. She was at least bold and spontaneous, pretty relaxed and didn't really care that much what others thought of her. Tom was the opposite of those things.
Because of his lacking confidence, he didn't make any sort of move on her at all, she did all the work! He cared very much about what others thought of him. When she clearly was upset about something, he was unable to open her up. He couldn't stand up for what he wanted, probably in fear of losing her, which made him act incongruently with his words. It can be hard to trust someone like that. He agreed to take things slow but still acted needy by trying to force things along instead of letting things happen naturally.
I think that is why she sometimes acted cold or bland towards him, because she was turned off by his personality.
I agree with everyone, this is a great video ! You caught a very subtle yet significant point and it made me question, maybe the reason Summer never could be "sure" with Tom is because deep down she could feel that was not real love, Tom just idealized her as an image in his mind. And for that reason, things did not flow naturally for Summer, who knows ...
Super gross and hypocritical of the director to say those things in the commentary. I can’t believe he actually did that while trying to admonish those exact type of people in his own film. Unbelievable.
I know how it you feel. I feel weird and sad every time I hear it
I recently watched a video by Sloan Stowe (another video-essayist who likes to talk about shows and movies), which is probably why I was recommended this video and she points to a lot of elements that would indicate the plot of this movie started out as a revenge movie only to become the movie it is now thanks to the influence of its co-authors, its cast and the rest of the team involved in the movie. This really weird and horribly just gross commentary would further support that idea.
Literally the point of 500 Days is to see the world from Tom's perspective. We see Summer as personality-less because we're seeing her as Tom does, his own magic pixie dream girl.
I believe the reason Summer comes off as a one dimensional character isn’t just to mirror how a romcom’s depiction of love is wrong. It’s to show that people in real life can fill the role you want them to play. Most people would say Tom thought he was in love with Summer but was wrong. I say in reality Summer didn’t care if he was in love with her. She played the part of the quirky girlfriend for a while but, Her goal was never to stay with him, instead she wanted to manipulate him into being with her even though she knew she was never gonna give him what he wants. At the end of the movie when Tom asks Summer why she danced with him but never mentioned she was getting married she says “cause I wanted to.” Showing that in real life people can purposely act like the version of themselves you see in movies just to prove that someone can fall in love with that fantasized version of how they want to be perceived, even if it is ultimately only to serve their own ego.
All the movies, books etc gave us the misconception of soulmate, 'meant to be together' crap. Tom was so much influenced by this idea and didn't see summer as a person. Most of us will have the first impression that summer dumped Tom. But if Summer is bound to be ok with that, so is Tom. He can keep his idea of Summer and still move on. The movie has a brilliant ending with Tom meeting Autumn. He has a lot to explore. That's brilliantly put together.
That's one of the beautiful parts of the film. It shows how subjective love and relationships can be. However, I disagree with you about the ending. I thought it would have been better if it ended with him just accepting being by myself. I'm actually going to be writing another video essay on my thoughts on the ending this year :)
@@ArianaAlexis Yeah may be at a later point Tom will realize it is okay being himself. At the end of the movie Tom is starting his journey, I thought. Well, all the very best for your next video.
This movie ends happily actually, Tom grows up and turns the page, it's a it may hurt but everything will be all right type of ending. Also I don't agree with the fact that depict somebody with the things they love is a bad idea, or make you don't like a character, juste look at the way Amelie did it, it's so poetic. I loved the character of Summer because she feels real, she's not the all time happy character that we see in all movie, she's not either the so depressed character that is in every movies, she's sometimes borring, ironic, she doesn't force smiling 24/7 because it's better for other to watch. She's not accentuated to fit in the movie character mold.
Have you ever thought it is because she isn't an objective character? She's portrayed completely through the lens of Tom's perspective. Tom has an 'idea' about her, and he feels disappointed in her because she doesn't adhere to that idea of his about her. This story is about Tom's coming of an age. He has to grow up, mature, and approach and deal with things accodingly.
"Most things in life dont end happy." I feel you ;-; Sad reacts only!
Sheep Dreams it’s the most true statement ever made :p
I'm so happy I'm not the only one who like unhappy endings and stuff that makes me cry.
You missed the point of the movie! If you take complete charge of your life without having unreal expectations gathered from outside, you'd be contempt irrespective of success or failure. Or if not contempt, you'd be better equipped to handle failures. Consider the ending for example, he doesn't know whether it will go well with Autumn, she might turn out just another Summer. But our man is ready to face it with complete responsibility. :)
I’ve watched this movie since middle school and it’s been one of my all time favorites ever since. Never really had any complaints about it. Then I went off to college and studied architecture. Let me tell you the way they show Tom as an architect is so inaccurate and romanticized. It hurts so much now to rewatch this movie and when one of my favorite scenes of Tom redrawing the buildings on summers arm happens and he just says some bs nonsense about increasing lighting or something. I still love the movie though
That’s so interesting!
I would love to hear about the difference between real architecture and movie representations of it!
Did this movie inspire you to go into architecture?
Ariana Alexis The movie did influence me to some degree to pursue architecture but it definitely wasn’t my driving reason and a good thing too. The pretty drawings that Tom does in the movie are really nice to look at and I always loved the aesthetic but when you’re in school, unless you’re in a drawing class, you don’t do a lot of perspective drawings like that. Not by hand at least. The thing the movie completely over looks is that with the advancements in technology architects don’t necessarily need to be able to draw in order to do their jobs. I’m ok at it but almost all my work is digital. Never once in the movie does it show Tom using any type of CAD software which when creating your portfolio like he does at the end you definitely would be using. You wouldn’t go into an architecture firm with a bunch of pretty perspective drawings and expect a job 😂 it’s ridiculous. Like they could have at least had him draw some plans and sections. Also the way he was working with chalk on his wall like what??? Why? It just doesn’t make sense. It looked great and artsy for the movie but just not realistic at all. Lastly a big thing they ignored is that to become an architect you need more than a bachelors degree. To become a licensed architect you need to take a test, kind of like lawyers have to do with the bar exam. Toms been out of practice for a long time and the movie is unclear, maybe the job he was applying for was for a lower design position, but he’s not an architect. They kinda gloss over that part and I get why. It would be time consuming and pointless to explain.
Sorry this was kinda long. I hope it makes sense
TheOrangeOne that's so true! My husband is an interior designer and all his projects are done on SketchUp. When I watched the movie years ago I thought "why this guy is drawing something on a chalk board, get your laptop, man"
I’m architect too, and at the end of the movie I was like what is he doing with that big portfolio?...🤔
And the other thing that you mention, if you don’t have some experience in any sub field of architecture you are not getting any job.
As for the exam, well I where I’m from we don’t have to take one, we have to do a thesis to graduate.
And every tv or movie architect it’s like that just look at Teddy in how I met your mother, that depiction it’s awful...🤦🏼♀️
@@airplanetowardsthesky3265Sorry but I disagree like he says during the movie he doesn’t think he is that good at architecture he thought he wouldn’t be good at the job and maybe he still doesn’t know a lot of things so maybe that’s why he is only drawing because he hasn’t learned to do it digitally yet and he will once he is working in his position.
I think you're correct about romantic comedies being the issue with Tom's expectations, but it's not because the female characters in them are superficial -- I mean the male characters in those movies are superficial too, they're not really the best films generally. The issue is that those films (and pop culture in general) teach men that if they work hard and try hard and show persistence and are sweet and kind they can "win" the girl. And reality is much more complex than that. And that is what this film shows among other things. Tom builds up a fantasy of Summer, ignores facts, ignores what she tells him, and just focuses on the happily ever after which never comes because in real life your expectations have to match reality.
03:20 I wasn't eating chips out a bag but rather pringles out a "can". But damn that line hit me hard.
We don’t get a fair representation of Summer as a person as the movie is told through the eyes of Tom and he only sees her on a superficial level and not as a person
Exactly my point :)
I love your "expert" picture. 😂💖
Lol thanks ! I thought that picture of me as a kid was so weird I couldn’t not use it :p
Too many times we are seeing that picture it is the reason i turned the video off
@@abircek you my friend, is a asshole....
maybe that's the whole idea - like Tom, we only ever get to see the _idea_ of her that we manipulate in our own minds rather than who she actually is as a person.
I say something like that, but that's an interesting idea that it's to have us shape her like we want :)
Maybe, yes in some ways. But also no. A year and a half is a long time to know someone and date someone. The movie is 90 minutes but represents a year and a half relationship. It's kind of impossible not to know someone well after that amount of time.
He still loved her at the end of it. And I think she loved him too but it just didn't work out for them.
I think your analysis of this motion picture was as accurate as robin hoods archery! bravo, this has changed my perspective on the film! I am experiencing tears of joy, thank you!
First I thought it was Summer's fault.
Then I thought it was Tom's fault.
Then I found out what trauma bonding was and I recognised that it was actually Summer's fault, but at the same time wasn't her fault, because I realized she was most likely raised around of a lot of relationship trauma growing up that she would eventually model. Meanwhile Tom might have been niave, but he was atleast attempting to model a healthy archetypal relationship.
MIND BLOWN I got offended when you said summer was boring and was going to stop watching but I’m glad I kept on watching YOURE SO RIGHT
"no she's not the girl of my Dreams - she's real" - I really like that
His delivery of that line is exquisite.
I've watched this film a second time and now I see it through different eyes and understand it so much better. My question though and what I still don't understand is why Tom and Summer are "incompatible". It is perplexing because they seem to be happy with each other and have fun together and love each other. The only incompatibility offered is that Tom is a Romantic and Summer is not, until she is and then she is but for someone else. So in the end the question is are they incompatible simply because they are each still "growing up" and starting from different perspectives? We never learn or understand what it is that made Summer switch from not believing in romantic love to being engaged to be married within months of breaking up with Tom and why she did so. I find it to be a strange and highly narcissistic view of romantic love when a partner is considered "incompatible" because they are still figuring out their lives. Wouldn't it also be fair to say that Summer definitely didn't have her life or career figured out even a little bit? Aren't partners in romantic love supposed to be strong for each other and devoted to each other to help each other to cheer on each other in their growth and quest toward finding their own personal successes? Do other people feel that this "post modern" view of romantic love as haphazard serial monogamy is dangerous and cheapens any future possibility of actual committed romantic love? Or is it inevitable that we all go through these stages of experiencing the pain of having our hearts broken as part of the process of discovering how to practice romantic love in a way where one learns to fully love oneself so they can be love for others rather than seeking that love through a partner? At the very least this film really makes one contemplate these questions far more than any other film about Love I've ever encountered. Just still wondering why they weren't compatible and asking the same question Summer asked Tom on their first date. Tom's answer "you just know" is obviously a colossal error because he surely didn't "know" when he thought he did and then this irony at the end that Summer uses the same line on him after finding it with someone else!
You described it perfectly. They had a "thing".
So many people have had the same experience, but want to "remember it" as something "more" like a full relationship. That's very rare. So, just like this movie it was one sided and somebody got really really hurt. When you are hurt in a relationship it's not "revenge" you seek it's "making sense". What happenned. Who's fault. Whatever 'works" in your mind is your reality.
Thus, the myriad of "side takers" and strong opinions.
Yes, I've seen this movie over a few dozen times, myself.
My opinions have changed, but here's my judgments:
1. Tom is immature and "wants to be in love" so he projects the best qualities(dream girl) onto Summer.
2. Summer is lonely and is just enjoying "not being alone" and with somebody. If you've ever been there, you just 'shut up" and enjoy it while you can. No honesty. No analysis. or...poof...gone!!
3. Summer says she "doesn't believe in love", but would have "converted" had this happened.
a.) When(thanks to Tom's drunken friend) Tom was confronted by Summer straight up asking , "....do you like me, like me?"
b.) If he had only(had the maturity, had the balls....) to take Summer right then and there and given her the kiss that she was waiting for.
4. Summer finally got engaged to a total stranger that she met when she was having lunch alone and reading a book.
The stranger took the initiative and then "heels went over heads". Sounds like destiny, right.
5. Tom just wasn't ready. He knew his "fantasy girl". He just wasn't ready to "make all the right moves" to make it happen for her.
6. Right person, but wrong time for Tom(not ready).
7. Right person, but wrong time(he ain't read, but she was) for Summer.
Still the journey was beautiful and this really opened my eyes to the amazing architecture of DTLA.
I recently experienced being dumped. Roughly around a month before our anniversary she called it quits and left me. Ive been struggling to deal with this empty feeling and i didn't understand what happened. This video actually opened my eyes to the possibility that i was imagining her as perfect when everyone else said she treated me horrible. Same stuff, her smile, her laugh, her gaze and how she spoke to me. Neither of us were perfect. We actually didn't even have much in common. Im glad i ran across this video, it honestly has changed my perspective and ill probably be able to sleep finally. Thanks for the awesome video.
I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. Break ups all always tough, but it's even tougher when you idealize the person. I'm glad this video was able to give you some peace.
I always thought that was the whole point of the film, he refuses to actually know her because he doesn’t want to hear something he won’t like that will change his perspective of her. When she is telling him something she has never told anyone before, be doesn’t actually listen all he is thinking about is how this is working for him.
I highly recommend listening to the Bechdel Cast's episode on 500 Days of Summer. They really delve into Tom's imperfections as a protagonist and actually theorize that he can actually be the antagonist of the film.
This feels like a bit unfair to the storytellers as they attempted to portray a very specific time in a character's life that is supposed to be representative of a time that many people go through. I wouldn't call Summer bland or "a vessel to advance the plot" (also felt like a misreading of women in romcoms. They are supposed to be blank canvases for viewers to paint themselves as. The whole point of adopting their perspective to feel what they feel means you can't get to specific or else you alienate the members of the audience who isn't the same as the character). We know that she is damaged by her parent's divorce at a young age which makes her distant, upfront about not wanting to be in a relationship with Tom furthering the distance, growing to change that position by the end of the movie and ultimately someone whom Tom recognizes as person who deserves none of the ill will we are meant to feel about her. You are right in that we see this from Tom's perspective, and we know for most of the film that he doesn't end up having good feelings for her. So shouldn't we also not trust the narrator to offer a fair and accurate portrait? How often do we say nice things about our exes?
Tom is at a place where he doesn't know what he wants in a partner. Most people in their 20's are in a place like that. They end up finding out what they want by trial and error, which is what I think we are seeing here
I just watched this film for the first time yesterday (after a good year or two of having it on my “to watch” list). And I gotta say I was genuinely surprised.
I went in blind, just expecting a romcom that would have a happy ending. I was watching it really because I was bored and wanted a pick me up. I didn’t expect to come away with a new found awareness for how I might project my expectations onto other people.
Having watched the film and read an analysis and watched your video. I realised that I have a similar issue to Tom, in that the things about the opposite gender that I look for are superficial or bizaro crap that we have in common. And the reason for that can definitely be attributed to the way rom coms have led me to perceive relationships. Luckily I’m not exactly like Tom in that I also look at personality comparability and a host of other things as well.
Tldr: I really like your video and how you broke it down, I actually learned something about myself because of it (I subscribed too :) )
That’s the point - Have you ever watched a friend fall for someone who you can’t see anything in? No morals, personality, or maybe they’re just boring etc. The point here is it’s about that ‘friend’ represented here by Tom falling for someone that we don’t see anything in. But the movie makes the point of showing that HE sees something. It doesn’t matter how we feel, it only matters how he does. She is boring and one dimensional on purpose, because we don’t see anything, but we see the point of view of someone seeing something, and creating sympathy through that. We understand how Tom feels, but it doesn’t mean we’re meant to agree with it
I hate to admit it but music and movies have really fucked up my relationship expectations. To the point were I start to hate the relationship because it's not going how it's "supposed" to be going, at which point I initiate a series of fruitless desperate efforts to "fix" what isn't even that broken and I end up completly destroying whatever attracted me to the person in the first place, and then I break up with her. And I think that's what happens to Tom.
Check the anxious avoidant trap related to attachment theory... He is anxious as she is avoidant. This movie is so real to whomever felt in that trap
I’m on Summers side. She was always honest, she never lied to him, she told him she didn’t want something serious. He accepted and made ideas in his head.
She invited him to her engagement party, that was worse than lying. She didn't even mention what the party was about. She never mentioned she was in a relationship. So many things that she did after they "broke up". She was just bad person.
Tom was the problem
He was desprate for love
Awesome vid! You've got a real knack for this. I also love your school photo, so cute! :)
Thank you for watching! I’m glad you liked it :)
That photo was just too priceless not to put in the video :p
You're insight into all of my favorite things is amazing !!
A minute in, and you already have me hooked. Nice and clean audio, funny editing and you sound smart. Gg 10/10 subscribed
Thank you so much! Im glad you liked it! :)
This entire movie has established in the end what it promised us right at the beginning: This is Not a Love Story. Period!
There is no room for Summer's perspective throughout the movie. There is no depiction of Summer's view of Tom. The entire movie only shows Tom's perspective, even Summer is only seen through Tom's eyes. It only serves to clinch how one-sided Tom's affair with Summer was. He was into it. She was not. She tried to but couldn't seem to find connection. In Tom's eyes, Summer was in love with him. Therefore, Tom was in love with only the idea of Summer loving him. The cinematography, the screenplay beautifully establishes the stark contrast between Man's inner world and his outer world. Tom has built up the image of Summer and himself together in his mind. Sadly, he is awakened to a tragic shattering of that image. This movie is truly about Tom and only Tom and him meeting Summer. This movie isn't about Tom and Summer. It's about Tom growing up from the romantic movies he saw as a child and the sad British pop music.
As for Summer, she is actually a very real and an interesting character. However, we are only shown glimpses of the real Summer, the Summer with some hidden depths. One such example is when Summer, very kindly and considerately but indirectly, urges Tom to pursue architecture but Tom always manages to brush the topic away. For Tom, the conversation, about his love for architecture, between him and Summer always remains an unresolved issue. Tom simply uses his relationship with Summer as an escape from things he doesn't want to deal with such as his dreary life at the greeting cards office and his inability to be bold and pursue architecture. However, in the entirety of it, Webb only depicts Summer as a character that helps Tom to accept his true calling(architectural engineering). Summer only serves as an instrument in Tom's growth and development.
When you clipped Eternal sunshine to drive your point at 4.09, I died inside a bit.
All the time i hear how romantic love affects negatively women's expectations on relationships and love interests but i never hear how it can also affect men and this is a perfect depiction that, by the way i love your content
Very true. No one talks about it yet movies seem to effect men in the same way.
And thank you! Glad you enjoy it!
I agree with you up until the Marc Webb part. He purposefully had Zooey play this character basic and one dimensional. Marc Webb knows the problems with rom com portrayals of women, and this movie is a statement to that.
Amazing video essay :D
Thank you for breaking down the movie like this, I 100% relate!
Looking forward to seeing more stuff like this, take your time, I know it's takes a while.
If you take any movie suggestions, I am more than happy to say, try "Scott Pilgrim VS The World", or "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".
Take care, all the best,
Milan :D
Oooo yep.. I never realized why I felt so much when I watched this movie. Plagued by bad decisions and optimism, I was Tom. Growing up mostly with my sister and mom, Romantic movies were my reality of love. Sad to say, but I loved it(still kinda do). I couldnt tell you when the magic of them left and turned into some mission I was on. Saying that, I met a girl that I fell in love with, but just like Tom, I couldn't tell myself what it was. I just knew, I could watch this perfect for eternity. She was perfect in her own rite, but looking back at it, I never saw her in that light. I only saw her as what I wanted to see, someone to "save" me and enjoy this life with. And ironically, it wasn't a relationship it was a "romantic thing." This movie is perfect in showing how our perception is really what hinders us finding love. That that soulmate, is just that. Think of your soul, it wasn't constructed by you, decided by you, it just is. It is pure, and it just wants to express itself. This is perfectly showcased in the final scene (which honestly felt like the actual rom-com was about to start, compared to the movie we see, which as you pointed out is just in his eyes. Its not really love. Its one-sided and, at the end of the day, selfish. Still, beautiful craftsmanship by the writer), how this love we are all finding is coincidence. That's what makes it so special, that such a heavenly thing, just is, not forced or controlled. I was crazy blown but your analysis of her portrayal as bland.. cause thinking about THAT girl in my life, she was kinda dull, almost emotional-less. The level to which I put into the idea for both of us that this was so much more was absurd. But I tried, tried, and tried some more to make it somehow turn out as love. But love is a dance, and it takes 2 to tango. Standing side by side, not one in front of the other, but equals in facing this world That person is the one who makes you engage life, makes you want to grow and prosper, because you kniw she's right there holding your hand, doing the same. You share each others grow/prosperity, and the hardships, but knowing that they hard firmly grasping you makes it almost enjoyable to struggle. With that being said, you're right that Summer in a way was a huge part of his love life because with out him engaging that pain, and disillusion, he was able to learn. He let go of his version of love, and was finally able to truly see the face of love. So yeah you what find that perfect person you're imagining because love is not a matter of logic or intelligence (only sex is). Love is a matter of the heart, and all matters of the heart must be felt. Sincerely, enjoyed this! :)
The one time she told him about something really important for her, he didn’t listen. Maybe she did more but it wasn’t as important as her looks and the things they had in common. The only other scene where they talk about her life is her exes, and afterwards he was jealous and kinda angry, than she mentioned the person. The moments before the break up show her sad and unpresent,but he didn’t care at all. He just tried to relive the past. He interprets everything the way it comforts him, or makes him the victim. Oh she laughed with me, she wants me back. Oh she had a nice weekend without me, she clearly slept with someone what a b-word. He just wants to be the winner or the victim. Nothing that makes him at fault is possible in his mindset. At the end he learned nothing. It starts just the same with the counting. She’s the one even though I know nothing about her. Summer had a nice talk with her husband and formed a sympathy with him, but she needed time and then she knew he was the one, on some day when she woke up. It’s maybe fate that they met, but it‘s choice that made them the ones for each other . They knew that marriage worked for them.Autumn never said anything besides her name, and he already plans their „future“. The cycle starts again…
Does anybody remember the episode in How I Met Your Mother where the characters point something out about another character. That is how i feel right now. Cue th glass breaking sound.
Summer is the best part of the movie! It's a really relatable performance for when you're an object of someone projecting their need of love on to you without actually learning to love you. When you try to have a relationship with someone whose only in love with love but is painfully unaware of it and dodges seeing anything in you that isn't in line with their picture of you. We don't get to know Summer because Tom doesn't.
Pretty great analysis ! lol you went in on Summer, but you're pretty spot on. I always felt she was the problem and the whole movie is a slap in the face to Tom. He loves the idea of her being the one, not her for who she is.
TheValueKing It took me 8 years to figure that out :p the movie changes meaning based on what’s happening in my life so it was hard to keep track of why I didn’t feel it was perfect
So I absolutely love this movie and just found this video, and wow. I'm going through a breakup right now and man was she a Summer, and I was for sure Tom. Maybe that's something I have to fix. I'm like Ted Mosby, I have this crazy idea of love and when someone loves me I fall head over heels, which is dangerous. Anyway, before I go on a rant, your video helped me realize ALOT, 18 days into this breakup I'm suffering but this made me feel a lot better. So thank you!
When I first watched the movie. The only thing that came to my mind was "God, summer is a bitch. How could she do that to him etc." Then I watched the movie a couple more times and I finally saw the point of the movie, which I was ignoring from the beginning, because I was so into thinking that Summer is not a nice girl. She and Tom are both two different individuals, Tom never fell in love with Summer for how she was as a partner. He liked all the superficial things about her. He projected a girl which he actually wanted to date and tried to FORCE it onto the character of Summer. He wasn't realizing that Summer is actually NOT what he wants her to be. So in a way it wasn't Summer's fault that it didn't work out, it was Tom's because he was being selfish. People don't get it, even I didn't get that in the first viewing.
P.S - this doesn't change the fact that Summer's character in the movie was a bitch. Summer will always be a bitch.
I have watched 500 days of summer.....but this is shocking and so amazing......the best review I have seen in ages!!! Kudos
Thank you so much :) I’m glad you liked it!
If you have any ideas for movies you want me to analyze in a video let me know!
Ive watched your videos since two days ago and you have a lot of talent. Keep it up! Dig the violin theme.
My take on summer was that the reason she is the love interest despite being objectively boring is because Tom is infatuated with her. You touched on this and i think this may have been the full intentio of the movie. From a male point of view, when i was less emotionally mature i was guilty of this arc. Meeting a girl, becoming infatuated due to her looks and a couple of hallmark personality traits, and at that point creating an idea of her instead of seeing who she is exactly. Like the two scenes where Tom states what he loves then what he hates about her despite it being her, eventually the girl would not live up to my delusion of them and i would find myself blaming them for it.
Thats what this movie taught me and thats what I got out of it. Might be wrong but just thought id share 🤷♂️
I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one that learned this lesson from the film. While I do agree it's one of the biggest themes in the movie, I think that there are a lot of other things the writers were trying to get across. For me, my biggest take away is that relationships aren't everything and you can't rely on one person to make you happy. You have to be ok with yourself
I love that beautiful cat! Basically, we see the entire movie, including Summer, from his perspective. However, we also see his fallacy. He is idealistic, and it never changes. I love the movie because it moves him to go after his true purpose. He is an architect and not a greeting card writer. In that way, it has a happy ending. But also, it is about honing in on one question: Are we in love with someone because of who they are, or our own idea and perception of who they are?
She's pretty and spoiled that's her personality.
Stumbled upon this video while pulling and all nighter and I gotta say you truly did justice to an amazing movie
*it's because Tom never really got to knew her actual self.*
Then what do u think should be the traits of your love interest if u think that similar interest is not one of those traits?? I want to know ur opinion as u have deciphered 500 days of summer in the most realistic way possible, u really are an expert
i think instead of summer being boring and shallow. We as an audience had never really met the real summer because the movie was told in tom's perspective. But we see glimpses of her personality and problems throughout the movie. When they 'broke up" after watching the graduate he told his friend that they were fine everything was great and summer simply said "i think we should stop seeing each other, just like that". Later on we learn that that she cried watching the movie (probably because she could emphatize with the main character situation who realized that they were not in love) and shut Tom out afterwards. She was literally not okay, but Tom did not realize it. when summer told tom that she often dreamt she was flying, but at the end she said she realized she was completely alone. tom did not really listen, because he had a narrator inside his head saying he felt like summer's wall is start to crumble or something. But it was implied that summer had deep emotional issues because of her parents divorce. He never could get attached with anybody but he felt lonely inside. Tom fails to see this side of her.
Ps i've watched 500 days of summer sooo many times tooo
My issue with the movie is that they were trying to bash idealization, but they also tempt us to idealize. They bash infatuation, but also tempt us with getting infatuation. They bring us down a love drunk state by seeing through Tom's eyes and only give us snippets of sobriety through characters like his sister & friends and self epiphanies towards the end. Thus, the masterminds behind this contribute to the very same issue they were trying to point out and sort of eradicate.
Based on the explanation you've given in this video, I don't think there's any problem in the movie.
For me, the best thing was your admission at 07:51. (500) Days of Summer is a work of art. Sometimes a movie has a pretty straightforward interpretation, and sometimes you have to seek it out. I am not sure whether this movie belongs to which one of these two categories. However, we can always perceive a movie different than others. I appreciated that you said that you might be wrong about Summer being the worst part or she being a one-dimensional character. Ultimately, what a movie makes us feel and think is what matters. My perception may differ from yours. It is important to agree to disagree. :)
She never broke up with tom in thr first place because they arent together. It was clear that nothing going further in their relationship in IKEA bed scene. Tom just assume there was somethng
i think summer is portraited as this bland girl exactly because that’s how the film wants us to see how Tom sees her. Tom doesn’t know her well enough, just like we audiences dont know summer enough. And that’s the whole point- tom fantasizes her and was being naive the whole time.
Your breakdown is pretty damn good. I saw this movie when it came out and I cried. It reminds me too much of myself. In a way I hate it because of what it does to me emotionally. But I can't help but watch it every so often to remind me in not a cold bastard. It really is a fantastic movie and I hate myself for loving it so much.
I don't think there is such a thing as a fake or unrealistic relationships in movies. In fact, I dare say they reflect real life relationships. See its easy to critique someones relationships from a 3rd person point of view. Just because the audience doesn't get it, or say a friend doesn't get their friends relationship, it doesn't make it unrealistic. It does bring the probability that it is a bad relationship but that absolutely happens constantly.
That was really funny. I now declare you Expert✊🏻
An expert I shall be. Thank you.
The first time I saw the movie I hated it, because it didn’t have a happy ending.
But as I watched it more times and as I pondered the themes and meanings within, I grew to like it. It wasn’t until I experienced a relationship similar to that of Tom and Summer that I began to love it.
I saw myself in Summer. Summer was written in such a way that she is easily a self insert. But that isn’t what people do the first time watching. The movie is told from Tim’s side of the story, so if anything you are going to relate to him or compare yourself to him.
And I do, I did my first few times around. I am someone who has fallen in love with the idea of someone, just like Tom.
Maybe I should make a video about my experimence with this film. I’ve seen lots of videos like this one, but I’ve never made one, and I always have a lot to say on the matter.
There's no villain fam. If you've been in a situation similar to Tom's and have done inner self work you'll know exactly why Summer is represented the way she is. She is a really good dvd player so he can play his projected fantasies on her. She's not a human to him
Yes I have. Yes, you're right.
3:00 That's not creepy, that's called falling in love. It's not that superficial, he didn't say he liked her ass. Personality is often expressed in body language. Also "interests" is not a superficial thing, it says a lot about a person. The initial stage of falling in love is pretty much infatuation which is often quite physical, it doesn't mean that Summer is a superficial character thru Tom's eyes, the film just portrays the reality of this process from the perspective of young men. They take these things and build up a whole idea of a person around it and proceed to fall in love with that idea. There's nothing superficial about it. But it is highly irrational and unfair to the object of their affection, and will ultimately backfire. And that is what the film is about.
I honestly think that it's not the movie that has a problem but these kinds of videos. I see it more often, that good movies get titles like "everything wrong with.." Although it's sometimes definitely interesting to catch mistakes, sometimes I feel like people are deliberately looking for anything wrong with it, or anything that could be wrong. None of these arguments have given me the feeling that something IS wrong with this movie and the examples sometimes even contrast the argument. I usually do not like romantic movies at all, but this is my favorite, because of how real it is! I think her character is actually very interesting, cause the movie seemed to hint towards a lot of layers about Summer that aren't explored and therefore left a lot of space for people imagination of what she might actually be like and her motives. What I like about Summer is that instead of highlighting ONE overpowered feature about a woman (like many other movies do) such as, making her EXTRA bubbly, or extra strong, extra smart, super intelligent or super sexy, they gave her all of those features but very subtle. So that way she resembled much more of a realistic woman. I myself (a woman) can be fun, sexy, smart, strong, but I am not ever described by someone else as ONE of those words. That's the point. People are complicated. If you're able to describe someone with just one word like 'fun' you're not real (and not a good writer).
being pretty,liking shit I like or just liking something,and in my age group to some degree.Sounds about right to me.
Very funny. Thank you for your comment.
@@ArianaAlexis lol this was 2 months ago.I don't even remember the context of this comment.
Summer is boring because she’s an immature version of a woman, she’s Tom’s version of a woman. He doesn’t see her complexity and the consequence for him is heartbreak. In Tom’s eyes she’s perfect and perfect has no depth.
Lol after she said she’s a boring love interest it eerily reminded me of all my friends describing all of my love interests
Summer doesn't need a personality because from Tom's (which is also ours) perspective, he mostly likely ignored it and that's why we see her how she is.
now I see myself in Tom even more. made me think haha
great video!